Chicken Marsala

I love chicken marsala and after being in Cancun for a week and gaining ten pounds I wanted something that was nice, light, and served with lots of veggies. I also read about this meal in a Men's Health magazine my husband got for the plane. I knew that because it was in the beloved Men's Health I would be able to convince Miles that it was a good idea for a meal.

Of course I decided to make this meal on a night when Miles had to get home from school late. I was starving by the time he finally made it home - damn traffic. I almost didn't get pictures because I was dying - literally -to eat. It turned out so great that I made it again 2 day later only in part because I wanted to use the Marsala wine.

Ingredients:

• 0.6 pounds chicken breast - pounded thin
• salt, pepper, paprika
• 2-4 tbsp flour
• Pam cooking spray
• 8-10 mushrooms - I used baby bellas - sliced
  
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1/2 cup Marsala wine
• 1 garlic clove - minced
  

Directions:

1. Pound the chicken until they are about 1/8-1/4 inch thick
2. Salt, Pepper, and Paprika the chicken to your tastes. Sprinkle the flour onto both sides of the chicken, patting it to cover each breast.
3. Spray a heated skillet with Pam cooking spray and cook the chicken for about 1.5 minutes on both sides or until mostly cooked through. Remove chicken from skillet.
4. Add mushrooms and garlic to the skillet with a small amount of the chicken stock. Saute the mushrooms until cooked. Add remaining chicken stock and Marsala wine. Reduce by half and then half again. Add chicken and cook for simmer for another 5 minutes.
5. Serve and Enjoy

Serves 2 - calories per serving - 280-300

Garlic Knots

I LOVE Annie of Annie's Eats. These garlic knots are awesome and super easy to make. I will definitely be making these again and I think they might be my go to roll. What is there not to love about a good garlic knot? I mean really, they go with every meal.

I followed Annie's recipe exactly (but cut everything in half). I have posted her recipe below as she has it on her website - linked above. I served these with Chicken Marsala. The entire meal was amazing.

Ingredients:

For the dough:

3 cups bread flour

1 tbsp. sugar

2 tsp. instant yeast

1 ¼ tsp. salt

2 tbsp. olive oil

¼ cup milk

1 cup + 2 tbsp. lukewarm water

For the glaze:

2 cloves garlic

2 tbsp. melted butter

½ tsp. Italian seasoning

Directions:

To make the dough, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment combine the dry ingredients. Add the olive oil, milk and water. Mix until ingredients have formed a dough. Switch to the dough hook and knead on low speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turn once to coat, and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise for about 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.

Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 10 inch long rope and tie into a knot. Take the end lying underneath the knot and bring it over the top, tucking it into the center. Take the end lying over the knot and tuck it underneath and into the center. Transfer shaped rolls to a baking stone, or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise for 45 minutes, until puffy.

To make the glaze, finely mince the garlic or press it through a garlic press. Mix with the melted butter and Italian seasoning.

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Brush the glaze onto the shaped rolls. Bake until set and lightly browned, about 15-18 minutes.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffins

With the combined desire to make muffins and use oats (oats are heart healthy) I decided to make pumpkin oatmeal muffins. I have no idea where I got the basic recipe from. My poor computer decided to crash before I blogged this entry. However, I remember that I changed the recipe a lot and I am not going to add a recipe to this post. I am going to try these again so when I do I will post the recipe I use then.

Strawberry Smoothie

Oh Love. Smoothies are just magical. They are like a milkshake but they are healthy. They remind me of summer and fun. What more can you ask for out of a drink. I mean really...you have to admit that a really good smoothie is amazing. This smoothie is great. Bananas, strawberries, yogurt, Splenda, water and ice. So easy and yet so delicious.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 Bananas (frozen)
• 4 strawberries
• 6 oz Vanilla Yogurt
• 1/2 cup ice cold water
• 8 ice cubes
• 1 packet Splenda

Directions:

1. Blend all ingredients in a blender.
2. Drink

This smoothie makes about 12 -15 oz. Calories per smoothie - 250

Oatmeal Pancakes

I love Monday's off. Just another excuse to make breakfast. I love breakfasts which is new for me. Normally I am not a breakfast person because I have so many other things to do in the morning and I am not a fan of Bisquick anything but growing up Bisquick was the go to breakfast so that is what I think of when I think of making breakfast. However, that is starting to change. As I make more breakfast foods for me I am starting to enjoy it more and more.

These pancakes are an adaptation from all recipes. I really liked the idea of adding oatmeal to my pancakes to make them healthier. With no oil, no sugar, the substitution of egg beaters, adding banana, raisins, and whole wheat flour these are actually pretty healthy. Next time I think I will add a little Splenda because these do taste a little on the healthy side rather than the yummy breakfast side. However, they were VERY filling. I also only blended half the batter and next time I will blend all of it because I want them to be less dense. Maybe more milk? The batter was nice and thick and they were pretty fluffy but I wanted a few more air pockets without adding more baking soda or baking powder. Hum...All in all I will be going back to this recipe again when I want a nice big breakfast. Recipe below reflects the changes I will make next time.Ingredients:

• 9 tbsp whole wheat flour
• 1 cup quick oats
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 6 oz vanilla yogurt
• 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1/4 cup egg beaters
• 3/4 banana
• 1/3 cup non-fat milk
• 1 tbsp Splenda

Mixins:

• 1/4 cup blueberries
• 1/2 box raisins (snack size box)
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• pinch all-spice

Directions:

1. Add all wet ingredients to the blender. Mix in the oats by hand and allow to soak for about 10 minutes.
2. Add all other ingredients except the mix-ins. Blend until smooth.
3. Heat griddle to low-med heat.
4. Split the batch in two portions, into one half mix the blueberries. Into the other half mix in the mix the raisins, cinnamon, and all spice. (Blueberry pancakes should have some spices as well, perhaps some cinnamon)
5. Pour about 1/4 cup servings onto the griddle and cook until brown on the sides. Flip and cook for another 2 minutes depending on the heat of the griddle. (I would cook these slower then your normal pancake)

Makes about 9 pancakes: Calories per pancake - 100

Foccacia with Bison Steak and Veggies

I have been in a major bread making mood. I love watching the bread rise, kneading the dough, and to be honest I love how much work some breads are to make. I love that I can work on the bread for hours as it helps meet my baking need. A meal that comes together in 5 minutes just doesn't speak to the baker in me anymore. Now I still love a quick meal but when I have the time to enjoy making food I really want to enjoy it.

This foccacia wasn't difficult to make but it sure was good and fun to make. I served it with bison steaks and fire roasted veggies from Trader Joes.

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 teaspoons honey
• 1 cup warm water
• 1-1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1-1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 1 tomato seeded and diced
• 1 clove garlic smashed
• Fresh basil
  
• 2-1/2 cups white whole wheat flour, or as needed
• 1-1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Dissolve honey in the warm water in a large bowl, then sprinkle yeast over the top. Let stand for 5 minutes until the yeast softens and begins to foam. Stir in salt, 1/2 tablespoon olive oil, onions, and 2.5 cups of flour until the dough comes together. Knead on a well floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Add half of the tomatoes and enough flour so the dough is tacky but not sticky. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 20 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 415 degrees F (215 degrees C).
3. Place dough onto oiled baking dish, and flatten to cover the whole dish evenly. Use the tips of your fingers to make indentations all over the dough spaced about 1 inch apart. Drizzle the focaccia with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil, then sprinkle rosemary, Parmesan cheese, basil, garlic, and remaining tomatoes. Let rise for 10 minutes
4. Bake in preheated oven 20 minutes until golden brown.

Makes 6 large servings - calories per serving 225

Chicken Gyros

Annie's Eats is a huge inspiration for me. Yesterday I was looking for a lemon recipe for a friend so I typed "Lemon" into Annie's search function and while I was looking for a dessert one of the links that popped up was this recipe for chicken gyros. I knew at that moment I had figured out what I was going to make for dinner the next day.

So the next day rolled around and sure enough I made these gyros. They were fantastic. I even made the homemade pita also from Annie's blog. I was a little disappointed that Annie's pitas have nice browning and mine did not but I know that Annie is a far better cook than I am so I am just going to have to accept this.
I chose not to make the tzatziki sauce as I don't own cheese cloth and there is a great store bought option available to me at the local grocery store. The rest of the text below is all taken from Annie's blog I just adapted it slightly based on the changes I made.

Ingredients:
For the tzatziki sauce:
16 oz. plain yogurt (not nonfat, if possible)
1/2 hothouse cucumber or 1 regular cucumber, peeled and seeded
2-3 cloves garlic, pressed through a garlic press (or finely minced)
1 tsp. white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Extra virgin olive oil

For the chicken:
4 cloves garlic, smashed
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 heaping tbsp. plain yogurt
1 tbsp. dried oregano
Salt and pepper
1 1/4 lbs. chicken pieces (I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts)

To assemble:
Pita bread
Fresh tomatoes, seeded and diced
Red onion, sliced thin

Directions:
To make the tzatziki sauce, strain the yogurt using cheesecloth over a bowl. Let strain for several hours or overnight, if possible, to remove as much moisture as possible.

Shred the cucumber. Wrap in a towel a squeeze to remove as much water as possible. Mix together the strained yogurt, shredded cucumber, garlic, white wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, and lemon juice. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld.

To prepare the chicken, combine the garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, yogurt, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste in a medium bowl. Whisk together until mixed well. Add the chicken pieces to the bowl and mix well to coat. Cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour.

Cook the chicken as desired. (I grilled mine on a stove top grill) Once the chicken is completely cooked through, transfer to a plate and let rest for 5 minutes. Cut into strips.

Heat pitas . Top with chicken, tzatziki sauce, diced tomatoes and sliced onions. Serve immediately. (I cut my pita in half and filled the inside with the chicken, veggies, etc.)

Makes 8-10 pitas. I cut the recipe in half and made 6 pitas - calories per pita (without extras) - 120