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

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

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