Chicken & Edamame with Orange-Ginger Dressing

Since I'm playing major catch-up after having a sick computer for almost two weeks, I'll keep my recap short and sweet.  (PS - I'll update this post with a picture as soon as I figure out how to export my data from my external hard drive to my computer.  I tell you what, it's really difficult to be not tech-savvy in today's world!)

This dish is wonderful!  It has bright, flavorful tastes, comes together quickly for an easy weeknight dinner, the leftovers are great, and it's healthy to boot.  What more could you ask for?  The whole family liked this one and I think it will be served often in our kitchen.  The avocado really pairs brilliantly with the dish so please don't omit it.

And if you've never perused Confections of a Foodie Bride's website, I highly recommend it.  Her recipes are always good and her photography is stunning!

Chicken & Edamame with Orange-Ginger Dressing
adapted from Confections of a Foodie Bride

the juice and zest of 1 orange
the juice and zest of 1 lime
2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
1 tablespoon peeled and grated fresh ginger (I had to substitute 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder because my
     grocery store was out of ginger and it turned out fine...but fresh is always better!)
1 clove of garlic, roughly chopped
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, plus more for garnish
2 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped (I used a rotisserie chicken to save time)
1 cup shelled edamame, cooked
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 large avocado, sliced
1 cup brown rice

Cook the brown rice according to package directions.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl (or blender), combine orange juice, orange zest, lime juice, lime zest, oil, ginger, garlic, and cilantro.  Using an immersion blender (or regular blender), blend until all ingredients are well combined.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To the dressing, add chicken, edamame, and bell pepper and toss to thoroughly coat.  Spoon mixture over cooked brown rice.  Garnish with cilantro and avocado.

Read more...

Weekly Meal Plan

Hi all! My friend Candace recently brought up a very good point - one reason people turn to cooking blogs for recipes rather than cookbooks is based on the assumption that if a recipe is deemed 'blog-worthy' than it must be a good recipe. In essence, the foodie bloggers are taking the recipes for a test drive and letting others know about their successes. The reason why Candace brought this up with me was that she wanted to know about the recipes that I list on my weekly menus - if I actually made them and how they turned out. So in addition to posting my weekly meal plan, I'm also going to do a quick recap/review of the previous week's menu. I hope this will help others in planning their weekly meals too!

On a side note, while I was perusing the web last night, I found a great cooking blog, The Meal Planner. So if you're like me and try to plan ahead for the week's meals, I encourage you to check out her site! And you'll notice that several of this week's meals are from her blog... :-)

Dinners This Week:

Spanish Roasted Chicken with Chorizo and Potatoes; Mediterranean Green Salad

Spring Frittata (didn't get around to making it last week so it's on the menu for tonight's dinner)

Creamy Chicken Marsala; Roasted Broccoli

Sweet Pork Tacos with Avocado Cream; Black Beans, Tomatoes and Corn Salad

Thai-Inspired Meatballs with Coconut-Peanut Sauce; Asian Noodles or Rice; Steamed Edamame

Last Week's Reviews:

Chicken and Edamame in Orange-Ginger Dressing - This recipe was fantastic...and so easy! Look for a post later this week.

My Mom's Chicken Noodle Soup - I love this recipe and I'm absolutely amazed that I've never posted it on the blog. I grew up with this soup and every time one of the family is sick, I try to make it. What really sets this soup apart from other recipes is that my mom always makes her own noodles. A little more work but the rewards are well worth it! Oh, and I'll finally be posting it later this week.

Manicotti - I found a manicotti recipe that was stuffed with the usual ricotta/spinach mixture but the noodles were replaced with crepes. I had high hopes for this recipe, but it was merely okay. And Finley refused to eat a single bite of it. I won't be taking the time to make this one again.

Spring Frittata - I've made this one before so I already know it's good! One of the benefits of a frittata over a quiche is that you save a lot of calories but cutting out the pie crust, which is great after the holidays when everyone is trying to cut back a little.

Beef Taquitos; Mexican Chopped Salad - I didn't end up making the taquitos after all. Off the top of my head, I can't remember what I made in their place...but it will come to me eventually. If it was good, I'll post about it. I did make the Mexican chopped salad and it turned out great. Andrew and I ate every last bite of it! I'll post about it later this week too.

Pork Tenderloin; Cheesy Quinoa & Broccoli Casserole - This meal got put in the freezer for another week when we got a dinner invitation to go out with my parents. Whenever we get around to eating it, I'll let you know.

If you've stuck with me and are still reading this, you may wonder why I didn't post anything other than the meal plan last week and why I'm promising to post everything later this week. Well the reason is twofold. Number 1, Finley was sick last week so she was home with me. Luckily, she's all better now though! Number 2, the hard drive on my laptop went kaput after I accidentally dropped a bottle of vinegar on it. The vinegar didn't spill but it did leave a dent right where the hard drive is stored within the laptop. Luckily, Apple is awesome and is replacing the hard drive (for free!) as I type this. I had to commandeer Andrew's computer just to type this post. Hopefully I'll be up and running in the next day or two!

Read more...

Weekly Meal Plan - January 8th thru January 14th

This whole weekend I've been babying my sweet sick little kiddo. It just breaks my heart when she doesn't feel good! I feel a little guilty, but I do love all the cuddling though. Finley's such an energetic and independent child, so she doesn't let me love on her nearly as much as she used to. Sniff, sniff. But enough about us, here's what I'm planning on cooking up this week:

My Mom's Chicken Noodle Soup (you know, because a sick kiddo needs her chicken noodle soup!)

Stuffed Shells or Manicotti; Roasted Broccoli & Cauliflower

Spring Frittata; Green Salad; Crusty Bread

Chicken & Edamame with Orange-Ginger Dressing

Beef Taquitos; Mexican Chopped Salad

Pork Tenderloin; Cheesy Quinoa & Broccoli Casserole

Read more...

Colorful Chicken Salad

You know I love to mix savory with sweet when it comes to dinner. You also probably know that Andrew hates it when I do that. But yesterday I was craving a good ol' homemade chicken salad sandwich. Usually I make a pretty simple recipe with roasted or poached chicken breasts, mayo, celery, and onion, but I was feeling the creative vibe and made a totally different chicken salad. As I was prepping all the ingredients, I was a little worried that Andrew may not like it since I was putting a touch of sweet into the salad. But I had no need to be worried. After Andrew finished his sandwich, he commented on how great it was and promptly fixed himself a second sandwich! At the end of dinner, Finley even remarked that "dinner was really, really good, Mama." Warms my heart!

When I was assembling this chicken salad, I was hoping to create something that was a little tangy (which is why I went heavy on the Dijon and added a little sour cream too) with really bright flavors, as well as colors - orange from dried apricots, bright green from pistachios and deep purple from red onions. I think I succeeded, and I hope you agree!

Colorful Chicken Salad

a Baking and Eggs original

2-4 chicken breasts, about 1.25 lbs, cooked and chopped

1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped

1/2 cup pistachios, shelled and chopped

1/3 cup red onion, finely diced

2 celery ribs, diced

3-4 tablespoons low fat mayonnaise

2 tablespoons creamy Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons low fat sour cream

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste

lettuce and/or good bread, for serving

Combine all ingredients except lettuce and bread in a large bowl and mix well. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to allow flavors to marry. Serve on lettuce as a salad or on bread (or croissants would be great too!) as a sandwich.

Read more...

Spicy Bean Burritos

This is one of those great meals that you can keep on hand for nights when you don't feel like cooking but you don't want to go out either. I already had most everything stocked in my kitchen and it used up some random odds and ends that were hanging out in my vegetable bin. And it's quick and easy to prepare. I was pleasantly surprised at how those few ingredients combined to make some super tasty refried beans! They had a fantastic, slow cooked homemade flavor without very much time or effort. While they were great wrapped in the burritos, I think they'd be great all on their own too.

Feel free to stuff your burrito with whatever ingredients you enjoy. I used green onions, cilantro, chopped tomatoes, avocado slices, shredded cheese, lettuce and sour cream. I placed the assorted toppings on the table and let everyone wrap up their own burritos. It was fun to do it that way and it was less time-consuming for me. Win, win! For Finley, I reserved some of the bean mixture before adding the salsa so the beans wouldn't too spicy for her.

Spicy Bean Burritos

adapted from Annie's Eats

For the beans:

2 teaspoons canola or vegetable oil

2-3 cloves minced garlic

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ancho chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano

kosher salt, to taste

Dash of cayenne pepper

1/3 cup chicken broth

1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 15-oz can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

4-6 tablespoons fresh salsa

For serving:

6 (9 or 10-inch) flour tortillas, warmed

Shredded chipotle cheddar cheese

Chopped tomatoes

Shredded lettuce

Sliced avocado

Chopped green onions

Minced Cilantro

Low-fat sour cream

In a saucepan over medium heat, add oil, garlic, chili powders, cumin, oregano, salt and cayenne pepper. Cook, stirring often, until spice mixture becomes fragrant, about 30-60 seconds. Add beans and chicken broth. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and mash beans to desired consistency.

Spread a large dollop of beans on each tortilla and top with shredded cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, avocado, green onions, cilantro and sour cream.

Read more...

Bibimbap

If you eat Korean food, then you've probably heard of bibimbap. If you watched last week's Top Chef episode, then may remember that Ed made bibimbap. Otherwise, you've probably never heard of this Korean rice dish that is loaded with bulgogi (thinly sliced marinated beef), cooked vegetables and topped with a fried egg. Yum!

The recipe as written takes quite a bit of prep and cook time, but if you plan ahead, you can use leftover vegetables and/or leftover bulgogi meat to save lots of time. This is a nutritious and delicious Asian dish that I just love. I'm a sucker for fried eggs so to me it was pure heaven mixing the runny yolk with the rice, meat and veggies. It's hard to even decide what my favorite part of this meal is - I love the spicy zucchini, the crunchy sweet carrots and the marinated beef is excellent. Oh and did I mention, there's a fried egg on top?!? While those things are my favorites, it turns out that Finley loves the mushrooms - she ate all of them! Andrew and I had to give her the ones of our plates too! And after all the really rich food, I've been eating for most of December, bibimbap is a wonderful change of pace.

Bibimbap

recipe adapted from Food Network

Steamed white rice

Bulgogi, recipe follows

1 large carrot

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 tablespoon sherry

8 oz mushrooms, cleaned and quartered

3-4 cups baby spinach

1 zucchini, halved and cut into thin strips

1/2 - 1 teaspoon garlic chili sauce (found in the Asian aisle of most supermarkets)

Eggs

1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted

1 tablespoon dark sesame oil

Soy sauce, to taste

Sriracha, to taste (the original recipe calls for Gochuchang paste but I didn't want to make an extra trip to the Korean market so I substituted the well-used Thai hot sauce)

Peel the carrot into thin strips with a vegetable peeler. Set carrot strips aside on a large plate.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add oil and mushrooms. Saute for a few minutes and then add sherry. Continue to cook until the mushrooms are softened and have released their juices. Using a slotted spoon, remove mushrooms to the plate with the carrot strips.

In the same pan, wilt the spinach in the mushroom liquid. Remove spinach to the plate with the mushrooms and carrots.

In a microwave safe dish, place zucchini slices and 1-2 tablespoons of water. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap and microwave on high for 1 - 1 1/2 minutes, or until crisp-tender. Drain carefully and toss zucchini with 1/2 - 1 teaspoon of garlic chili sauce. Remove zucchini to the plate of vegetables.

(I did all of the vegetable prep and cooking ahead of time. Just before serving, I microwaved the veggies for 30 seconds to take the chill off. The hot rice, meat and egg sufficiently heated the vegetables.)

In a saute pan, cook eggs over easy and set aside.

To assemble, place the cooked rice in bowls. Place bulgogi and vegetables on top of rice but placed separately so you can see each ingredient. Drizzle the meat juices over the dish. Place egg on top. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and drizzle with sesame oil and soy sauce.

When ready to eat, mix all ingredients together. Let each person season to taste with sriracha, sesame oil and soy sauce.

Bulgogi

recipe adapted from Food Network

1 pound ribeye steak

1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce

1 pear, grated with juices

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1/2 small onion, grated with juices

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

1 tablespoon honey

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper (I used much less)

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1 12-oz can lemon-lime soda

Place ribeye in freezer for 30 minutes, or until it is partially frozen. Remove from freezer and thinly slice against the grain.

Meanwhile, whisk together remaining ingredients in a large baking dish. Toss meat with marinade until evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, but preferably overnight.

Heat grill (or indoor grill pan) to high. Remove beef from marinade and grill for 1-2 minutes per side. Remove from heat and set aside until ready to compile Bibimbap.

Read more...

Weekly Meal Plan - January 1st thru January 7th

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a fun-filled New Year's Eve last night. Andrew and I rang in the new year celebrating with our friends from the neighborhood and fun was had by all. For our New Year's resolution, our family is going to try to be more organized around the house.

Since we're all partied and holiday-ed out, I've tried to plan a menu that is full of healthy meals. It's time for me to lay off the butter and sugar, if I want to comfortably fit into my skinny jeans again!

Tomato Basil Cream Pasta (but there's not actually cream in it & it's vegan = healthy!)

Spicy Bean Burritos, Mexi-Grain Salad

Scallion Turkey Meatballs, Brown Rice with Peas & Carrots, Steamed Edamame

Pistachio-Crusted Chicken & Spinach Salad

Bibimbap, Marinated Cucumber Slaw

Read more...