Chicken and Arugula Pita
Posted: July 27, 2009 Filed under: Herbs, Quick, Sandwich 2 CommentsRecently I started watching more of Giada’s food shows on the Food Network and this recipe instantly caught my eye. I liked the idea of using arugula as it gives a spicier flair to your dish and adding it to chicken for a great sandwich sounded perfect. This was quick to make up for lunch one afternoon and will definitely be made many more times!
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
2 whole-wheat pitas, halved and opened
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 cup Arugula Pesto, recipe follows
2 store-bought rotisserie chicken breasts, diced into 1/4-inch pieces
8 cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 cup arugula
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
Arrange the pita halves on a baking sheet and bake for 5 to 7 minutes until warmed through.
In a large bowl, combine the mayonnaise, lemon zest and Arugula Pesto. Stir in the diced chicken.
To assemble the pita pockets, fill each pita half with the chicken mixture. Top with tomatoes and 1/4 cup arugula and serve.
Arugula Pesto:
2 cups packed arugula
1 clove garlic, peeled and halved
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the pesto, blend the arugula and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped. With the machine running, gradually add the oil until well blended. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in Parmesan and salt and pepper.
Chicken salad with cucumbers and tomatoes
Posted: July 22, 2009 Filed under: Chicken, Herbs, Quick, Salad, Sandwich 2 CommentsThe latest issue of Martha Stewart Living is fantastic. Great tips, recipes, and ideas for the home. I found this recipe and instantly knew it would be my lunch today!
ENJOY!
Ingredients: Serves 8
1/2 cup plain low fat yogurt
2 medium tomatoes quartered and seeded and cut into one inch chunks
1/2 English cucumber cut into 1 inch chunks
2 tsp coarse salt
2 boneless chicken breasts
Freshly ground pepper
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 garlic clove minces
4 ww pita halves
1 small head romaine lettuce leaves
1/3 cup fresh mint-I omitted
1 tbsp fresh oregano
Directions:
Place yogurt in a fine sieve and set over a small bowl and drain for 30 mins. Combine tomatoes and cucumbers in a medium bowl and sprinkle with 1/4 tsp salt. Toss to coat and let stand 30 mins.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 450 degrees. Sprinkle chicken wiht 1 tsp salt and pepper and bake until chicken reaches 160 degrees about 20-25 mins. Let cool and shred.
Drain tomato-cucumber mixture and toss with yogurt, chicken, lemon juice, garlic, and remaining salt. Season with pepper and stir.
Grill or warm pitas. Fill with romaine and divide chicken salad evenly. Top with herbs.
Serve immediately!
Grilled Shrimp with lemon basil pesto
Posted: June 18, 2009 Filed under: Fish/seafood, Herbs, Light and healthy, Low Carb, Quick, Sauces/dressings 3 CommentsI wanted a quick but satisfying meal tonight that involved shrimp. I recently came across this recipe from Food and Wine and boy oh boy it didn’t disappoint. VERY EASY to make and HUGE on flavor! I also put in on pasta for DH…mmmmmm!
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons pine nuts
3 cups packed basil leaves
2 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 pounds jumbo shrimp, shelled and deveined
Directions:
In a small skillet, toast the pine nuts over moderate heat, shaking the pan occasionally, until golden brown, about 2 minutes; let cool.
In a food processor, pulse the pine nuts with the basil leaves, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest and 6 tablespoons of the olive oil until combined. Add the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and pulse until smooth. Scrap the pesto into a bowl and season with salt and pepper.
Light a grill or preheat a cast-iron grill pan. Thread 2 or 3 shrimp on each of 6 skewers and brush with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper and grill over a medium-hot fire until opaque and cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Serve the shrimp hot, with the pesto and lemon wedges. I served with pasta.
Lemon Basil Grilled Chicken
Posted: May 20, 2009 Filed under: Chicken, Grilled, Herbs, Light and healthy, Low Carb 5 CommentsA great, light summer grilled meal. The marinade came together easily and was a perfect use of my freshly grown basil. I put it atop angel hair pasta and added some steamed broccoli to make the meal healthy and delicious!
I found this great marinade on BBQ recipes site. They have tons of ideas and simple uses of herbs for grilling up great meats.
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 freshly chopped basil
2-4 chicken breasts depending on size
3 tbsp grated parm cheese
2 tbsp veg oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 cloves garlic chopped
1.5 cups steamed broccoli
2 servings angel hair pasta
Directions:
Mix all ingredients together and let marinate for 30 mins to 1 hour. Heat grill to medium heat. Grill chicken until tender and completely cooked through. Serve atop angel hair pasta and mix in steamed broccoli.
Roasted Salmon with Herbed Yogurt
Posted: April 29, 2009 Filed under: Fish/seafood, Herbs, Sauces/dressings 4 CommentsH had some coworkers in town this week, so I knew I wanted to cook something nice, as they grow tired of restaurant, hotel food with all their travels. I had recently gotten my Everyday Food monthly magazine, and this recipe jumped out at me instantly. So, with guys coming to dinner, I knew this had to be it.
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
1/2 cup Greek yogurt (2%)
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill, plus sprigs for serving
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 side of salmon (3 pounds) or 8 fillets (6 ounces each)
Lemon wedges, for serving
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine yogurt, mustard, dill, and parsley; season with salt and pepper. Place salmon, skin side down, on a rimmed baking sheet. Spread yogurt mixture on salmon.
Roast until opaque throughout, 15 to 20 minutes (8 minutes for fillets). Sprinkle with dill sprigs and serve warm or at room temperature with lemon wedges.
Spicy Tilapia
Posted: February 3, 2009 Filed under: Fish/seafood, Herbs, Light and healthy, Low Carb, Quick 1 CommentSimilar to a recipe I found on Cooking 101. It was easy to make and is very healthy. I liked the spicy flavor with the lighter tilapia flavor. Topping it was tomatoes finished it off well. I did put it a top steamed veggies for an all around healthy meal.
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
Serves 2
2 tilapia fillets
garlic powder
chili powder
cumin
Italian seasonings mix
salt and pepper
Pam or any light spray for pan
Directions:
Dry fish well.
Sprinkle fish with each of the seasoning to your preference. Pat into the fish. Spray pan with vegetable spray. Saute fish for about 2-5 mins per side or until flaky. Put atop steamed veggies or rice and top fish with fresh tomatoes.
Garlic and Herb Cornish Hens
Posted: January 26, 2009 Filed under: Chicken, Herbs, Italian, Low Carb 3 CommentsI love Cornish game hens and they are very cheap and simple to make, but taste very good and make for an impressive meal for company. I found these at the local supermarket for a buck a piece and grabbed up a few of them.
Adapted from About.com
This serves 4-6, I cut it in half for just the two of us.
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
- 4 small game hens
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs, such as tarragon, parsley, basil, thyme-I used dried Italian Mix
- 8 whole basil leaves
- 1 small clove garlic, very thinly sliced
- Salt and pepper
Preparation:
Heat oven to 350°. Lightly spray a large baking dish or roasting pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Wash hens and pat dry. Season the inside cavity with salt and pepper and arrange in the baking dish.
Mix butter with the chopped herbs. Separate some of the top skin of the birds. Push small amounts of butter mixture under the skin of the breasts, then tuck a few thin slices of garlic under the skin of each breast. Carefully slide one small whole basil leaf under the skin of each breast.
Pat any remaining butter over the outside of the hens and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
Roast for 1 hour, or until the hens are nicely browned and juices run clear.
Serves 4 to 6.
Smoked Paprika Salmon with wilted spinach
Posted: January 1, 2009 Filed under: Fish/seafood, Herbs, Light and healthy, Low Carb, Quick 3 Comments| In an effort to eat healthier after all of our holiday parties and the upcoming NYE and NY Day binge, we wanted some fish. I found this recipe in my January issue of Bon Appetit on a McCormick Ad. I was a bit nervous adding cinnamon and sugar to it with the other stronger spices, and found it was a bit too overwhelming. Next time I would cut back on the spice mixture added to the top as it totally over powered the salmon. It was good, but I would definitely change it up next time, if we decide to try it again! I did put ours over rice (H’s) and greens (Mine) instead of spinach!ENJOY!
Ingredients: |
| Directions: 1. Mix orange juice, 2 tablespoons of the oil and 1 teaspoon of the thyme in small bowl. Place salmon in glass dish. Add marinade; turn to coat. Cover. Refrigerate 30 minutes or longer for extra flavor.2. Preheat oven to 400°F. Mix brown sugar, smoked paprika, cinnamon, orange peel, remaining 1 teaspoon thyme and sea salt in small bowl. Remove salmon from marinade. Place in greased foil-lined baking pan. Discard any remaining marinade. 3. Rub top of salmon evenly with smoked paprika mixture. Roast 10 to 15 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. 4. Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil in large skillet on medium heat. Add spinach; cook 2 minutes or until wilted. Serve salmon over spinach. |
Chicken Salad
Posted: December 9, 2008 Filed under: Chicken, Herbs, Light and healthy, Low Carb, Quick, Salad, Side dish, Vegetable 2 CommentsA nice, quick meal! Enough for one!
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
1 cooked chicken breast cubed or 1 small can cooked chicken drained
1 tsp chopped dill
1 tbsp chopped red onion
1 stalk celery chopped
1-2 tbsp light or regular mayo
handful of grape tomatoes to garnish
bed of mixed greens to put salad on
Directions:
Mix chicken, mayo, dill, celery, and onion together. Season with s and p if desired. Pop in fridge to chill about 20 mins or longer. Set up bed of mixed greens and tomatoes. Top with chicken salad. Serve with a fresh homemade roll. (See rustic dinner rolls or honey yeast rolls)!
Lime herbed butter
Posted: August 11, 2008 Filed under: Herbs, Sauces/dressings, Spreads, Toppings 1 CommentGreat for a new taste on grilled corn!
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
2-4 tbsp softened butter
1 tsp fresh chopped chives
1 tsp fresh chopped parsley
1 tbsp lime juice
Directions:
Mix all ingredients and chill until ready to use. Top fresh grilled, warm corn on cob! Goes great with Rum Pineapple Chicken!
LOVES TO EAT 