Balsamic Chicken with Roasted Vegetables

 

And another great recipe from Skinnytaste. Operative word - EASY. Operative word - DELICIOUS. That's all you need to know. I think Mike ended up using two pans in order to be able to spread things out, but that's about as complicated as it gets.

Servings: 4 • Size: 2 thighs + vegetables • Points +: 10 • Smart Points: 8

Calories: 401 • Fat: 17 g • Saturated Fat: 3 g • Carb: 15 g • Fiber: 4 g • Protein: 48 g 

Sugar: 2 g • Sodium: 518 mg • Cholesterol: 214 mg

Ingredients:

• 8 (4 oz each) boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of fat
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• fresh black pepper, to taste
• cooking spray
• 10 medium asparagus, ends trimmed, cut in half
• 2 red bell peppers
• 1 red onions, chopped in large chunks
• 1/2 cup carrots, sliced in half long, cut into 3-inch pieces
• 5 oz sliced mushrooms
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed and roughly chopped
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh rosemary
• 1/2 tbsp dried oregano or thyme
• 2 leaves fresh sage, chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°F. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Spray 2 large baking sheets with oil.

 

 Combine all the ingredients together in a large bowl using your hands to mix well then arrange everything onto the prepared baking sheets spread out in a single layer. The vegetables should not touch the chicken or it will steam instead of roast. Bake about 20 to 25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are roasted and tender.

Crock Pot Chicken a la Criolla

 

Here's another winner from Skinnytaste. You will not believe how delicious this is. And easy. Three steps - chop, put it in the crock pot, turn on the pot. We just used sliced Spanish olives from a jar. Don't leave those out. They add a great zing to the meal. The chicken just falls apart. Mmmm-mmmm good.

Servings: 5 • Size: 2 thighs + sauce • Points +: 5 pts*  • Smart Points: 5
Calories: 211 • Fat: 6.2 g • Protein: 28.8 g • Carb: 9.9 g • Fiber: 1.9 g • Sugar: 2.1 g
Sodium: 447 mg (without salt)  

Ingredients:

• 10 (2 lbs) skinless boneless chicken thighs, fat trimmed
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 bell pepper, chopped or sliced
• 4 plum tomatoes
• 2 tbsp alcaparrado or pitted spanish olives
• 8 oz can tomato sauce
• 1/4 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• salt to taste
• 1-2 bay leaf
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro (plus 2 tbsp more for serving)

Directions:

Place chicken, onion, garlic, pepper and tomatoes in the crock pot. Season with salt, cumin and oregano. Mix well so everything is seasoned.

Add tomato sauce, alcaparrado (or olives) along with 1 tbsp of the brine, 1/2 cup water, bay leaf and cilantro. Mix well and set crock pot to HIGH 4 hours or LOW for 6 hours. When done, taste for salt and seasoning and adjust spices as needed. Add 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro and serve over rice.

kale and butternut squash saute

SERVINGS4 PREP TIME20 mins TOTAL TIME32 mins

This caught my eye as it was billed as a Winter Superfood Saute. It was super delicious and took no time to prepare. As always my measure of success lies in consumption by young men. Triumph!

ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 pounds butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 3 1/2 cups)
• 1/2 cup diced yellow onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 1/2 cups chopped fresh kale
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons dried cranberries
• 4 tablespoons chopped walnuts or pecans, toasted
• 4 tablespoons crumbled goat cheese
• directions

  
  

  1. 

  In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add squash, onion and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until squash is lightly browned and slightly tender, about 7 minutes.

  2. 

  Add kale, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper and cook until kale is wilted and squash is tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat.

  3. 

  Add cranberries and nuts; toss to combine. Sprinkle with goat cheese.

  
  

  Tip

  • A half cup of cooked butternut squash provides more than 80 percent of your daily vitamin A requirement for just 41 calories. The gourd is also a good source of fiber and vitamin C.
    For the most flesh and fewest seeds, choose a squash with a large neck and a small bulb. And forget the fridge: Butternut does best in cool -- not cold -- dark places, where it will last as long as a month.
    Candice Kumai, the author of the new cookbook Cook Yourself Sexy, purees squash and mixes it into her mac and cheese before baking. She also uses a vegetable peeler to shave it into ribbons, which can be lightly sauteed and added to salads or pasta dishes.

  
  

  NUTRITION INFORMATION

  
  

  Per Serving: cal. (kcal) 350, Fat, total (g) 17, sat. fat (g) 4.5, carb. (g) 49, fiber (g) 8, pro. (g) 10, sodium (mg) 364, Mark as Free Exchange () 0, Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Moroccan Chicken with Carrots (and maybe olives)

A delicious recipe shared by a co-worker, and a departure from some of our more routine staple meals!

Lots of orange in this meal --- just like Meli's kittens. Photo Credit: J. Lesniak

Ingredients

• 4 Tbsp olive oil
• Salt & pepper
• 1/2 lemon, seeded and thinly sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced or sliced
• 3 large carrots sliced thinly
• 1 Tbsp water
• 1.5 lbs chicken (your choice of cut), cut into strips or chunks
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• Pinch of cinnamon
• 1 cup chicken broth or stock
• 3/4 cup mixed, herb-marinated olives (optional)
• Couscous for serving (I make a double portion of the NCC Carrot Couscous without chives)

Directions

1. Heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil on high in an extra large skillet.
2. Season the chicken with salt & pepper. Add it to the skillet in a single layer, cooking for 5 minutes (and turning once). Use a slotted spoon to transfer the chicken to a plate.
3. Add the lemon slices to the skillet in single layer. Cook for 2 minutes (turning once).
4. Add 2 Tbsp of olive oil, carrots, and garlic. Cook for ~2 minutes.
5. Add water and cook for ~2 minutes
6. Add cumin, paprika, and cinnamon. Cook for ~1 min.
7. Add the chicken back into the skillet. Cook for ~1 min.
8. Add chicken and olives (optional). Simmer over moderate heat for ~5 min. Serve with couscous.

Recipe via Food and Wine

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

I'm not sure how it happened that we don't have a regular beef stew recipe in our collection, but I've fixed that today. Below is not the actual recipe that I used but after I made a very similar one this week I thought what I really would have liked in it was a bay leaf. And a little less tomato paste. And voila! Here is one that fits the bill. I also had thought about adding wine. I didn't think about adding beer, because I don't have any. In any case, beef stew is a flexible dish anyway so you could put in beer or wine or just stick with beef broth. This one calls for browning the meat, but I didn't. But I may try tenderizing it next time, as this one suggests.
Ingredients

• 1 pound beef stew meat
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 medium carrots, chopped
• 2 medium Russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon lower-sodium soy sauce
• 2 1/2 cups low sodium beef broth
• 1/4 cup beer
• 1/4 cup red wine
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup peas
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil

Directions
Sprinkle stew meat with salt and toss till well combined. Using a fork, prick the meat in multiple places to tenderize. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour, but ideally refrigerate overnight.
Toss the meat with flour. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil and then sear meat until browned on the outside.
While meat is browning, mix together tomato paste, soy sauce, beef stock (use more if you like it more soupy than stewy) and Guinness & red wine (if using) in slow cooker.
Transfer meat (browned or not) to slow cooker. Add garlic, onions, carrots, potatoes, bay leaves, and black pepper.
Cook on low for 6 to 7 hours or high for 3 to 4 until meat is falling apart and tender.
If using peas, microwave for ~1 minute and then fold them into stew.
Remove bay leaves. Season to taste with salt and pepper and enjoy!
Nutrition Information
Serves: 4 |  Serving Size: 2 cups
Per serving: Calories: 363; Total Fat: 11g; Saturated Fat: 3g; Monounsaturated Fat: 2g; Cholesterol: 9mg; Sodium: 582mg; Carbohydrate: 35g; Dietary Fiber: 6g; Sugar: 7g; Protein: 27g

Quinoa Tabbouleh

The woman I used to nanny for used to make something similar to this. It's great for lunches and keeps really well. The more it marinates, the better it tastes! I eyeballed the parsley because the bunch I got was huge. The original recipe said to mince the garlic, but I used a garlic press because who likes mincing garlic?

1 cup uncooked quinoa
1 large tomato, diced
1 large cucumber, seeded and diced
1 bunch of curly leaf parsley, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, pressed
1 large lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp salt

1. Cook the quinoa. If you need some help with this step, give me a call and I'll walk you through it. Let the quinoa cool so that it doesn't wilt the parsley. You can stick the quinoa in the fridge to help it cool faster.

2. While the quinoa is cooling, prepare the tomato, cucumber, and parsley and combine it into a large bowl.

3. Pour olive oil into measuring cup. Juice lemon into the cup. Add garlic and salt, and whisk everything together.

4. Combine cooled quinoa and veggies. Toss with the dressing and serve! Throw the leftovers into some mason jars for lunch.

Sausage Barley Soup

Ingredients

• 1 pound Italian sausage(some commenters suggested hot, I used mild)
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 package sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 (48 fluid ounce) can chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 bag shredded carrots
• 1 package baby spinach
• 1/2 - 1 cup uncooked pearl barley

Directions

1. In a skillet over medium heat, cook the sausage, onion, mushrooms, and garlic until the sausage is evenly brown. Season with Italian seasoning. Remove from heat, and drain.
2. In a slow cooker, mix the sausage mixture, chicken broth, carrot, and barley.
3. Cover, and cook 3 hours on High.
4. About 1 hour before it's done, slice the spinach into shreds (you could just add it whole but I find that hard to eat whole wilted spinach leaves) and add to the slow cooker. Stir to combine. I stirred for the whole cooking time about once every half hour.