Lemon Garlic Chicken and Veggies

I always swear I am going to keep up with this blog, and then bang life gets busy.  Life has been pretty hectic here.   However, since this is not a blog about my life I am going to share some recipes!

I liked this recipe.  I doubled the amount of veggies I used and used just under 2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast.  Next time I would cut back on the amount of lemons I use on the bottom of the pan as the veggies soak in the lemon juice to cook, which made the green beans unbearably lemony.  I covered the bottom of the pan with lemon slices, next time I will space them out around the pan, if you aren't a huge fan of lemon cut the slices out completely.  I also used more garlic and olive oil sauce and coated the veggies and chicken very well.

Lemon Garlic Chicken and Veggies

Ingredients

• 6  tablespoons olive oil
• 2 lemons, 1 thinly sliced, 1 juiced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 pounds trimmed green beans (I used frozen ones, however if available use fresh!)
• 1/2 pound of broccoli (I used frozen broccoli as well)
• 8 small red potatoes, quartered
• 4 chicken breasts 

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 450°F. Coat a large baking dish or cast-iron skillet with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Arrange the lemon slices in a single layer in the bottom of the dish or skillet.
2. In a large bowl, combine the remaining oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper; add the green beans and toss to coat. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, remove the green beans and arrange them on top of the lemon slices. Add the potatoes to the same olive-oil mixture and toss to coat. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, arrange the potatoes along the inside edge of the dish or skillet on top of the green beans. Place the chicken in the same bowl with the olive-oil mixture and coat thoroughly. Place the chicken, skin-side up, in the dish or skillet. Pour any of the remaining olive-oil mixture over the chicken.
3. Roast for 50 minutes. Remove the chicken from the dish or skillet. Place the beans and potatoes back in oven for 10 minutes more or until the potatoes are tender. Place a chicken breast on each of 4 serving plates; divide the green beans and potatoes equally. Serve warm.          

                 

Enjoy!

Bry

Spinach Quinoa Bake

Life.  That is my only answer as to why I didn't get this posted yesterday like I promised.   I am loving the evaluation of this blog, from meals I cooked for my family, to food I could eat without getting ill to foods that were low fat, and gluten free, and mostly vegetarian.  The next step to this blog is gluten free, vegetarian, dairy free meals!  However for all my non health freak friends out there I will continue to post an occasional meat filled, fatty, gluten meal!  However I encourage everyone, food allergies or not to try these meals because honestly I every meal I post on here I would eat, healthy life style or not.

 

I thank pinterest and the Internet and other food blogs for my inspiration.  Very few of these meals are actually 100% of my own creation.  Most I mess and play with a bit though.

 

I love green beans however 98% of the time I just steam them and eat them.  However the other night I roasted them, and loved them.  I am a fan of roasted veggies.

 

Roasted Green Beans

 

Ingredients:

• 12 oz green beans, trimmed (make sure they are dry)
• 2 tsp olive oil
• salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
• 1-2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum for easy clean-up.
2. Lay green beans out on the baking sheet and drizzle oil over them. Season with salt, pepper and toss to evenly coat.
3. Spread them out on the sheet so that they all lay flat and place on the lower third section of your oven. Bake 10 minutes, shake the pan to turn and add fresh garlic; bake 5 additional minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with grated cheese.

 

 

Quinoa Spinach Bake

 

Ingredients:

• 1 pounds of spinach leaves
• 2 tsp olive oil, plus a little extra for your pan
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 gloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp thyme leaves
• 1 tsp finely chopped rosemary
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 cups of cooked quinoa
• 1 cup cottage cheese (once again I was short on cottage cheese, so 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt and 1/2 cup of Gorgonzola cheese)
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat an 8-by-8-inch glass or ceramic baking dish with olive-oil spray. Coat with breadcrumbs; set aside.
2. Fill a large bowl with ice and water; set aside. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add spinach; blanch until bright green, about 10 seconds. Transfer to ice bath. When spinach is cold, remove from ice bath, squeeze out all water, and finely chop; set aside.
3. Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan. Add onion, garlic, thyme, rosemary, and red-pepper flakes, and saute until translucent, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat; transfer to a medium bowl.
4. Add spinach, quinoa, cottage cheese, pepper, and eggs to the onion mixture, and stir until well combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish, and place in the oven. Bake until set and edges are brown, 60 to 70 minutes. Slice, and serve warm or at room temperature.

 

 

 

Along with the quinoa and green beans I made some Roasted Broccoli.  Yummy :)

 

 

Bry

Roasted Broccoli

Roasted Broccoli is my favorite I'd have to say!  What I love about it is its so simple to make and taste amazing with just about anything!  Check this post for any future meals that include roasted broccoli.

Roasted Broccoli with Red Pepper

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 pounds broccoli florets, (about 8 cups)
• 3 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/8 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450°F. Toss broccoli and 3 tablespoons oil in large bowl to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Transfer to rimmed baking sheet. Roast 15 minutes. Stir remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil, garlic, and red pepper in small bowl. Drizzle garlic mixture over broccoli; toss to coat. Roast until broccoli is beginning to brown, about 8 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Bry

Sweet Potato Side Dishes

Sweet potatoes have been going on and off sale all winter here and have been some very good prices!  I recently discovered a love for them around Thanksgiving time.  The first of the 2 recipes is my favorite, but they are definitely both yummy!  Enjoy.

Rosemary and Parmesan Sweet Potatoes

 

 

Ingredients:

•  3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced in one inch cubes 
• 3 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped fine 
• 1/2 wedge good quality Parmesan cheese, (grated fine in a food processor) 
• olive oil 
• sea salt 
• freshly ground pepper 

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Spray a large cookie sheet with cooking spray then spread out diced sweet potatoes, drizzle to coat with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt, and pepper. 
2. Roast in the oven for about 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, watching closely for burnt edges. As soon as potatoes have nice roasted look and are tender. Remove from oven, and sprinkle with fresh rosemary and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Stir well, and serve immediately. 

 Broccoli & Feta Sweet Potatoes

Instructions:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 4 cups finely chipped broccoli
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Wrap sweet potatoes in foil and place on a cookie sheet and bake until soft all the way through, about an hour.
2. In a large skillet on high heat, warm the olive oil. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes {or not} and cook until the garlic is golden, about a minute. Add the broccoli and stir-fry for a couple of minutes. Add the water and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered until most of the water has evaporated and the broccoli is tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the salt and pepper and set aside until the sweet potatoes are baked.
3. When the sweet potatoes have baked, cute them in half lengthwise and scoop out the pulp. Mash the pulp a bit and stir it into the broccoli mixture, along with the feta cheese. 

Bry

Quinoa Mac & Cheese

Quinoa Mac & Cheese

 Ingredients

•2 tsp olive oil

•1 med. leek white and pale green parts halved and sliced (1 cup)

•1/2 cup diced tomato, or red/green pepper

•1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed and drained

•good pinch of salt

•a few grinds of seasoning salt

•2 cloves garlic, minced

•2 large eggs

•1 cup soy milk or non-fat milk

•1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar cheese, more for sprinkling

•Optional- Crushed Red Pepper, Panko Bread crumbs for topping

•Toppings (optional)- salsa, hot sauce, sour cream, scallions (you get the picture)

Directions

1.Heat oil in med. saucepan over med. heat. Add leek and tomatoes (or bell peppers-or any veggies you want really); cover and cook 5 mins or until tender. Stir in quinoa and garlic, and cook, uncovered, 3-4 mins, or until grains start to turn opaque. (They will not fully be cooked yet.)

2.Add 3 cups water and season with salt and the Seasoning Salt (I like Lawry's or Everyday Seasoning). Cover and reduce heat to med-low and simmer 5-10 more, or until most liquid has been absorbed. Remove from heat and let stand 5 mins.

3.Preheat oven to 350 F. Coat 13x9 inch dish with cooking spray. Whisk together eggs and milk in large bowl. Fold in quinoa mixture and cheese. Stir very well and let some of the cheese melt. Transfer to prepared baking dish and if using Panko Crumbs or Bread crumbs add now and bake 30-35 mins, (or until browned around edges.)

4.Now you can toss with many toppings, some ideas: salsa, scallions, sour cream, and hot sauce! I serve with a side of steamed brocolli or a salad and a nice slice of good hearty bread.

I served this with bacon and roasted brocoli.  Brocoli recipe found here.  Enjoy!

Bry

Roasted Pork Chops, Broccoli and Veggies

Fresh Tomato and Squash Tart

Servings: 8

• 2 large fully ripened fresh Florida tomatoes, (about 1 pound)
• 1 large zucchini (about 8 ounces)
• 1 large summer (yellow) squash (about 8 ounces)
• 1 large potato (about 6 ounces), peeled
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup shredded reduced fat Swiss cheese, divided
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten (or you may use 1 whole egg and 1/4 cup egg substitute)

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Butter a 9-inch pie plate or shallow casserole. Remove stem ends from tomatoes; cut in half through stem ends; thinly slice crosswise. Cut zucchini, summer squash and potato in half lengthwise; thinly slice crosswise. In a large bowl, combine zucchini, summer squash, potato, onion, 3/4 cup of the Swiss cheese, eggs, salt, Italian seasoning and pepper until well mixed. Arrange half of the tomato slices on bottom of pie plate. Evenly spoon vegetable mixture over tomatoes, pressing slightly to flatten. Arrange remaining tomato slices on top; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Bake until vegetables are tender and glazed, about 40 minutes.

Roasted Broccolini with Red Pepper

Servings: 6

• 1 1/4 pounds broccoli florets, (about 8 cups)
• 3 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/8 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes 

Preheat oven to 450°F. Toss broccoli and 3 tablespoons oil in large bowl to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Transfer to rimmed baking sheet. Roast 15 minutes. Stir remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil, garlic, and red pepper in small bowl. Drizzle garlic mixture over broccoli; toss to coat. Roast until broccoli is beginning to brown, about 8 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

  

Pork Chops Stuffed with Smoked Gouda and Bacon

Ingredients

• 2 ounces smoked Gouda cheese, shredded
• 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 (2 1/4 inch thick) center-cut, bone-in pork chops
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• ground black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat.
2. In a small bowl, combine the cheese, bacon, parsley, and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper.
3. Lay the chop flat on cutting board, and with a sharp knife held parallel to the board, cut a pocket into the pork, going all the way to the bone, but leaving the sides intact. Stuff cheese mixture into pocket, and close with a wooden toothpick. Brush meat with oil, and season with salt and more black pepper.
4. Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill over medium heat for 5 to 8 minutes on each side, or until pork is done. Careful not to overcook!

 ~Bry