new-recipe-week: Recipe #32 Grilled Spiced Chicken With Chickpeas

new-recipe-week: Recipe #32 Grilled Spiced Chicken With Chickpeas: This week's recipe is from Real Simple.  Santa Barbara has been experiencing a lot of heat and humidity (ok, I know -- we are still luck...

Recipe #32 Grilled Spiced Chicken With Chickpeas

This week's recipe is from Real Simple.  Santa Barbara has been experiencing a lot of heat and humidity (ok, I know -- we are still lucky we live here).  It's too hot to cook inside, so I was looking for something I could grill out and not heat up the kitchen.  This was a delish and simple recipe made all the better by the Byron 2011 Chardonnay (thanks Susie) which accompanied dinner.  All in all a simple, yummy recipe and good for you too!  I did not serve with pita bread, but otherwise made the recipe pretty much as called for, except I only made a half portion.  Happy Cooking!

Ingredients

• 2 15.5-ounce cans chickpeas, rinsed
• 1/4 cup halved and pitted kalamata olives
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• kosher salt and black pepper

 

• 4 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• grilled pita, for serving

Directions

1. Heat grill to medium. In a medium bowl, combine the chickpeas, olives, parsley, oil, and vinegar; season with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
2. Season the chicken with the paprika, oregano, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and grill until cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes per side. Serve with the salad and pita.

Nutritional Information

• Per Serving
• Calories 459Calories From Fat 194
• Fat 22g
• Sat Fat 3g
• Cholesterol 94mg
• Sodium 977mg
• Protein 41g
• Carbohydrate 22g
• Sugar 1g
• Fiber 7g
• Iron 4mg
• Calcium 94mg

                

new-recipe-week: Recipe #31 Zucchini Tots

new-recipe-week: Recipe #31 Zucchini Tots: I found another recipe from Pinterest pinned by the Curious Country Cook.  She took an original recipe called Zucchini Bites which was ada...

Recipe #31 Zucchini Tots

I found another recipe from Pinterest pinned by the Curious Country Cook.  She took an original recipe called Zucchini Bites which was adapted from The Naptime Chef.  I doubled the recipe so that it yielded 24 tots and took them to a party as an appetizer.  They were great with salsa and we came up with all sorts of ways that we could change them up (make them with black olives, sundried tomatoes and feta cheese, for one example).  I used a combination of cheddar and parm cheese and I used Panko crumbs with my speial Italian seasoning with the crushed red peppers.  Happy Cooking!

1 cups zucchini, grated
1 egg
1/4 yellow onion, diced
1/4 cup cheese (cheddar or Parmesan work the best)
1/4 cup bread crumbs - I used Italian style
Salt and Pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Spray a mini-muffin tin with non-stick spray, set aside.
2. Grate the zucchini and then place in a dish towel to squeeze out the excess water- like when using frozen spinach; if you skip this part, the middle of the zucchini tots will be really soggy while the outside gets crispy and no one wants that.
3. In a bowl combine, the egg, onion, cheese, bread crumbs, zucchini, salt and pepper.





4. Using a spoon or a cookie scoop, fill the muffin cups to the top. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the top is browned and set.

 

new-recipe-week: Recipe #30 - Glazed Pork Chops

new-recipe-week: Recipe #30 - Glazed Pork Chops: I was looking for a new way to make pork chops and originally saw this on pinterest.  It's from a web site called Budget Bytes.  You'll noti...

Recipe #30 - Glazed Pork Chops

I was looking for a new way to make pork chops and originally saw this on pinterest.  It's from a web site called Budget Bytes.  You'll notice that I have not adopted a low carb diet and my pork chops were gynormous!  This recipe was delish and simple.  Happy Cooking!

INGREDIENTS		COST
4 thick cut	pork chops (bone-in or boneless)	$5.97
1/4 cup	brown sugar	$0.12
1/2 tsp	cayenne powder	$0.05
1/2 tsp	garlic powder	$0.05
1/2 tsp	paprika	$0.05
1/2 tsp	salt	$0.05
1/2 tsp	black pepper	$0.05
TOTAL		$6.55

 

STEP 1: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl combine the brown sugar and spices (salt, pepper, cayenne, paprika and garlic powder or whatever spice blend you like).  I also added a smoked crushed pepper.

STEP 2: Remove the pork chops from their package and rub the brown sugar/spice mix all over both sides. Use all of the spice mix.  I let them set to room temperature and the seasoning becaue a little glazy before I even put in fry pan.

STEP 3: Heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a skillet over medium/high heat. When the oil is nice and hot (it will look wavy in the pan), add the pork chops. Cook the chops for about 5 minutes on each side or until they are nicely browned.

 

STEP 4: If you are using an oven safe skillet, place the skillet in the oven for an additional 5 minutes to make sure they are cooked through. If your skillet is not oven safe (most plastic handled skillets and teflon are not safe in the oven), transfer the chops to a baking sheet lined with foil then place in the oven.

STEP 5: Remove the chops from the oven and drag each side around in the thick glaze that has formed around the chops in the pan prior to serving.

NOTE: To make sure clean up is not any harder than it has to be, fill up your pan with water while it is still warm. DO NOT put water in the pan just after it comes out of the oven or if the glaze is still sizzling (this will cause splatter and bad burns). Putting water in the pan when it is still warm will help dissolve the sugary glaze before it becomes hardened.

Recipe #29 Beef-Stuffed Zucchini

It's summer and it's hot (even here in Santa Barbara).  I've been asking everyone I know if they know a home gardener who could give me a large zucchini.  Melanie came through for me and I got my large zucchini, but now it's too hot to bake one.  I found this recipe on Taste of Home website, first printed in Simple & Delicious July/August 2008, p6.  The zucchini is microwaved, not baked which saves some heat in the kitchen.  I substitued finely shredded mozarella and cheddar for the Monterey Jack cheese; otherwise, made it as is.  Since my zucchini was so large, I cut in half and then cut in half again. It was delicious; served with a nice pinot noir.  Happy Cooking!

Ingredients

• 4 medium zucchini
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3/4 cup marinara or spaghetti sauce
• 1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
• Additional marinara or spaghetti sauce

Directions

• Cut zucchini in half lengthwise; cut a thin slice from the bottom of each with a sharp knife to allow zucchini to sit flat. Scoop out pulp, leaving 1/4-in. shells.
• Place shells in an ungreased 3-qt. microwave-safe dish. Cover and microwave on high for 3 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain and set aside.
• Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Remove from the heat; stir in the egg, marinara sauce, bread crumbs, salt, pepper and 1/2 cup cheese.
• Spoon about 1/4 cup into each shell. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 4 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Microwave 3-4 minutes longer or until a thermometer inserted into filling reads 160° and zucchini are tender. Serve with additional marinara sauce. Yield: 4 servings.

Editor's Note: This recipe was tested in a 1,100-watt microwave.

Nutritional Facts 2 stuffed zucchini halves (calculated without additional sauce) equals 394 calories, 21 g fat (10 g saturated fat), 134 mg cholesterol, 602 mg sodium, 19 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 33 g protein.