Butternut Squash and Black Bean Salad with Tahini Dressing

Public Service Announcement:  Bathing-suit season is coming.  It just is, you can't stop it.  This salad is tasty, satisfying and figure-friendly so you don't have to starve yourself in order to fit into last years summer sundresses.  You're welcome.

This started out as a recipe from Real Simple's February 2012 issue but numerous modifications ended up being made due to lacking some of the ingredients that I thought I had upon setting out to make it.  I seem to be continuing with my Squash and Black Beans theme - see it here and here, but this time it wasn't intentional.  I have no idea where that can of garbanzo beans ended up :-/

BUT my version was so good, I wouldn't hesitate to make it again.

I adapted the Tahini dressing using some really lovely Meyer Lemon Olive Oil and a White Balsamic Vinegar that I received as a Christmas present.  The original recipe called for plain olive oil and lemon juice, but I was out of lemons so I snuck the lemon flavor in using the infused olive oil and added the white balsamic vinegar for the acid component.  It was delicious, but if you don't have those items just go back to the original recipe.

For the chicken, I didn't follow Real Simple's method at all, rather I used my own favorite (and delicious, and easy) Buttermilk-Herb Chicken recipe (this time, I used a combination of parsley and thyme for the herbs).  I marinated the butterflied boneless, skinless chicken breast for about 3 or 4 hours, then broiled the pieces on high for about 9-10 minutes.  They were perfectly juicy on the inside but a little crisp on the outside, just the way I like it.

I filled out the salad with more veggies, because really, can you ever have too many veggies?  Nope.  Oh, and I also added crumbled goat cheese because it just seemed like the right thing to do.  I didn't regret it one bit.

Butternut Squash and Black Bean Salad with Buttermilk-Herb Chicken, Goat Cheese and Tahini Dressing
serves 2
adapted from Real Simple

1/2 medium butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1'' chunks
1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 ground black pepper

1/3 cup tahini
1/3 cup water
1 tablespoon meyer lemon infused olive oil
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

6 cups lettuce, cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 english cucumber, thinly sliced
1/2 cup grape tomatoes
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 of a (15.5 oz) can of black beans, drained and rinsed
2 oz goat cheese, crumbled

Buttermilk-Herb Chicken, cooked and sliced - see my recipe here

Heat oven to 425 degrees and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.  Toss the squash with 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/8 teaspoon of pepper.  Roast 25-35 minutes, flipping the pieces once after 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the dressing:  In a small bowl, whisk together the tahini, water, lemon-infused olive oil, vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.

To serve:  Divide the lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes and green onions among the plates and top with the black beans, roasted squash, crumbled goat cheese, and the sliced, cooked chicken.  Drizzle with the dressing.

And I may have ended the evening with a palm-full of these delightful little morsels.

I'm really kicking myself for not picking up an entire case of them at Trader Joe's.  They are about 3 times cheaper at TJ's than Sweet Riot's version and they are equally as amazing.  But maybe it's a good thing that I didn't, you know, with bikini season on the horizon and all.  

Are you ready to start rocking the sandals, tank tops and bikinis yet?  What is your favorite meal when you're trying to fit back into those summer clothes of yours?

Rosemary & Thyme Buttermilk Chicken

The other day I happened upon a quick, simple recipe for chicken that Kate from Framed Cooks raved she couldn't stop making over and over.  I'm always on the lookout for quick, tasty chicken recipes I can whip up for dinner and it's an added bonus if I already have all of the ingredients on hand, as I did with this one.

I made a couple of changes to the recipe (I've provided a link to Kate's rendition as well, see below) and I was pleased with the results.  First, I used boneless skinless chicken breasts that I sliced in half through the middle in order to shorten the cooking time:  starting with a sharp knife held parallel to the cutting board, I start at the thicker end of the chicken breast and slice my knife through the breast, keeping it in the center so I have two equal size halves.  This not only shortens cooking time but also makes the portion size more manageable and allows it to cook more evenly.  You could go a step further and pound out the half chicken breasts to make them perfectly uniform in thickness, but I didn't bother.  The second change I made was that I broiled the chicken breasts because Brian didn't feel like grilling.  They turned out perfect!

Since I started with 2 pounds of chicken, I marinated all of it and cooked half of the chicken after sitting in the marinade for 1 hour.  The rest of the chicken was allowed to soak in the marinade for 24 hours before broiling.  The chicken that had marinated 1 hour was very tender and I could taste the rosemary and garlic, but with much less developed flavor than the chicken that was allowed to marinade for a full day.  If you have time, I recommend a longer marinade but no sweat if you only have an hour, it was still good!

The first night, we ate this chicken with Spaghetti Squash and Greens Gratin and salad.  I ate the leftover chicken cold, on top of a spinach salad with carrots, celery and homemade hummus.  Hot or Cold, this chicken is delicious - I highly recommend you make this one guys!  And check back later this week for the (also amazing) recipes for the Spaghetti Squash and Greens Gratin and the hummus!

Buttermilk-Herb Chicken
serves 4-6
adapted from Framed Cooks

3/4 cup buttermilk
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped, fresh herbs (I used thyme and rosemary this time but you can use any.  A few favorites are:  parsley/thyme, basil, tarragon)
1/2 tablespoon paprika
scant 1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half horizontally

Whisk the buttermilk, garlic, herbs, paprika, salt and pepper together inside a large ziploc bag.  Add the chicken breasts and seal bag, making sure to evenly distribute the marinade all around each piece of chicken.  Marinade at least one hour or up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.

Heat broiler to high and move the top oven rack to highest position.  Spray a broiling pan with non-stick cooking spray, remove chicken from marinade (discard marinade) and lay out chicken pieces evenly so they are not touching each other.  Broil on high for 6 minutes, then flip each piece of chicken over and broil another 4-6 minutes until fully cooked (mine took exactly 11 minutes total).  Remove pan from oven and allow chicken to rest 3-4 minutes.  Serve warm or cold.


***Exciting news!  Tomorrow's post will be a guest post by my husband!  I won't tell you what he made but all I'm going to say is:  You do NOT want to miss this, I have been dreaming about these sweet treats ever since.  Not kidding!

Chicken...doesn't have to be boring!

B and I like to eat as healthy as we can, adding lots of layers of flavor to our food without adding a lot of extra fat and calories. Since chicken breast is a lean source of protein, I often find myself looking for new and delicious chicken recipes to add to my repertoire. This recipe looked easy (and it was) and I already had all the ingredients on hand so I thought I'd give it a try. Plus, it is cooked on the grill so that means B gets to do the hard work!! I made some vegetable skewers to serve this with - I just sliced up some red onion, zucchinni, yellow squash and red bell pepper, drizzled them with a little EVOO and a dash of salt and black pepper and had B put them on the grill along with the chicken. They were delicious! For a healthy carbohydrate side-dish, I made a few servings of quick-cooking brown rice. I hadn't eaten rice in a long time but it really hit the mark with these flavorful chicken and vegetable kabobs. I'll be making this meal again!

P.S. This chicken would probably be really good served in pita bread with some tzaziki sauce as a chicken gyro! I think we'll try that soon!

Garlic Lemon Chicken Kabobs

Adapted from Annie's Eats ,recipe originally posted here

3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Zest of 1 lemon

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp. minced fresh parsley

1 tsp. kosher salt

½ tsp. ground black pepper

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into ¾-inch pieces

In a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon zest, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper. Add the chicken pieces to the bowl and mix to coat with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 8 hours.

Prepare a medium fire in a grill. Thread the chicken pieces onto skewers (if using wooden skewers, soak skewers in water for 20 minutes before adding chicken) and discard the excess marinade.

Lightly oil the grill grates. Place the kabobs on the grill, cover, and cook until the chicken is opaque throughout, about 8-12 minutes, turning once or twice during cooking. Transfer to a platter and serve immediately.

Italy in Jacksonville

So I'll admit this blogging thing takes a lot of work! I've been SUPER busy here the past few days with helping my friend Sharon plan her daughter's 2nd birthday party (Happy Birthday Brooklyn!) and getting ready for my friend Becky's bachelorette party. They are both taking place today and since I got *most* of the work done ahead of time (soooo not like me!!) I have the time to sit down (well, actually I'm standing up) and write a little blog post. Don't worry, I'll be posting more on my contributions to the parties later...get excited though because I MADE a 3-tiered cupcake stand and 40 cupcakes decorated like flowers and bugs for Brooklyn's birthday and concocted a batch of pesto pasta salad, AND I baked two loaves of bread and whipped up a batch of my fave white bean dip for Becky's shin-dig. So now you know why I haven't had the time to blog :)


The other night (I think it was Wednesday...or was it Thursday??) I made Chicken with Tomatoes and Mushrooms (aka Chicken Cacciatore). It was a recipe from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food website and it. was. delicious. But of course...it was Martha. I made a few changes because I didn't have any fresh mushrooms (and besides, Brian doesn't really like them anyway). I used a small can of mushrooms that I had in the pantry. I also didn't have any stewed tomatoes so I used a can of diced tomatoes, the ones that are seasoned with oregano, basil and garlic. I thought some olives would be good with it (I was right) so I added those too, and topped it all off with some nice fresh Italian parsley before serving it. We'll definitely be making this again!


To go along with the chicken cacciatore, I baked a loaf of no-knead bread from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. I don't own the book but I found an abbreviated version of the recipe for the boule here. I know, I know - French bread with Italian food! Well, it went fabulously well together so I guess we'll just call it European "fusion" cuisine :)I followed the bread recipe exactly but halved it in order to get 2 loaves. Now I wish I had made the full recipe because you can keep the dough in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, just cutting off 1-lb sections as you want to bake them! I will be making this bread every week since I CANNOT find good bread here. I have to drive all the way to Wilmington (1 hour +) to get to a Whole Foods or Fresh Market which have the only acceptable bakeries I know of in the area. I haven't found any little boulangeries anywhere closer. Well anyways, it must be meant to be because I was ALWAYS intimidated of baking bread - you know, the kneading, the rising, etc. I wouldn't have even thought to try to make my own bread (B is the boulanger in the family) but this recipe just looked so SIMPLE...and it was! Try it. You will not regret it. And by the way- I am definitely buying the book.

Chicken with Tomatoes and Mushrooms

Adapted from Everyday Food

Ingredients
Serves 4


4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, about 1 1/2 pounds
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound mushrooms, trimmed and quartered (I used one small can chopped shitake mushrooms, drained)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (14.5 ounces) stewed tomatoes (I used diced tomatoes with basil, oregano and garlic)
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
handfull of whole, pitted kalamata olives
chopped fresh Italian parsley

Directions

Season chicken with salt and pepper. In a large (5-quart) saucepan (I used my dutch oven) with a tight-fitting lid, heat oil over medium-high heat; swirl to coat bottom of pan. Cook chicken, turning when it easily releases from the pan, until golden, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Add mushrooms; cover, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, tomatoes, and oregano. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, covered, until tomatoes have broken down, 10 to 15 minutes.

Return chicken and any accumulated juices to pan; add in olives; cover, and cook until chicken is opaque throughout, 4 to 6 minutes. Turn chicken to coat with sauce, and serve topped with chopped parsley.

No Shirts Sundays

I never used to like Sundays, that was until I became a domestic-engineer. When I was in school full-time or working Monday through Friday, I started anticipating the return to the daily grind some time around 3 pm on Sunday afternoon. Every week like clockwork as Sunday afternoon would roll around my mood would change to one of subdued melancholy. It's not that I hated working or really disliked school, its just that I knew it would be another FIVE WHOLE DAYS until the next weekend. Pessimistic, sure, but that's just how it was.

Now that I don't have a job, one day is just the same as the next. The only thing that separates a Monday from a Saturday is the fact that my husband is usually around to hang out with me on the weekends :) Because I don't have to worry about working on Monday, I am free to really enjoy Sunday now, and I LOVE it!

This morning my hubby cooked some Old Fashioned oats for breakfast for the two of us. Mine were topped with brown sugar, fat-free half & half, golden raisins, whole almonds and sliced fresh strawberries. We enjoyed our oatmeal with some rich and smooth 100% Kona coffee we picked up on our trip to Hawaii a few weeks ago. Mmmm....

Our Sunday routine typically involves relaxing outside in the driveway in our Adirondak chairs, soaking up the sun (affectionately called "Dundalkin' It" by those of us who hail from the Baltimore suburbs) - my sister calls it "No Shirts Sunday" and I think that's just the perfect name for it (well, I wear a shirt but B usually doesn't). Then in the afternoon we usually bring Hudson to meet up with my friend Megan and her little Boston Terrier, Rosco, at the dog-park on base, followed by grocery shopping. Today was overcast so we just got a little yard-work done and made our weekly trip to the commissary. No matter what else we do on Sunday, we always make a delicious dinner to bring the weekend to an end.

Today was no exception. I made Chicken with Mustard Wine Cream Sauce which was served with some beautiful, crisp asparagus and a homemade Olive & Cilantro Bread. Without further ado, here is the recipe:


Sauteed Chicken with Mustard-Cream Sauce

Adapted from Everyday Food

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (6 ounces each)
salt & pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup dry white wine, or chicken broth (I used chardonnay)
1/2 cup heavy cream or half & half
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
½ tsp dried tarragon (or fresh; or you may substitute 1 tsp fresh thyme)
Garlic powder to taste (optional)


1. Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken; saute until cooked through, 12-15 minutes, turning once. You may need to tent pan with foil or cover with lid for the last 2-3 minutes to insure chicken cooks through, depending on thickness of chicken breasts. Transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm.

2. Pour wine into hot skillet; cook, stirring, until reduced by half, about 1 minute. Whisk in cream, mustard, tarragon or thyme, and garlic powder (if using). Cook, whisking, until thickened, about 2 minutes.

3. Pour any accumulated chicken juices into sauce.

4. To serve: Pour a small amount of sauce onto plate, top with chicken (and any vegetables you are serving) and then drizzle remaining sauce over chicken.


This was a very delicious and elegant meal. I used a bright chardonnay in the sauce and then served the same wine with dinner. I forgot to pick up fresh tarragon at the store so this time I used dried herbs. I also lightened the sauce by substituting half the volume of cream for fat-free half & half. The sauce certainly didn't seem to suffer without the extra cream and I think it would be fine if you substituted half & half for the entire volume of cream. Very good, very quick, very simple. I'm sure it would be very good with some crispy oven-roasted potatoes or even a baked sweet-potato. We will certainly make this meal again, hopefully using fresh herbs next time!