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Lemon & Garlic Roasted Chicken Breasts

I was craving grilled chicken - and our plan was to make this recipe and grill the chicken.  Turns out the day was cooler than expected, and husband was coming home a bit late - so I opted to make the chicken in the oven and altered my original recipe to the makeshift recipe below. 

Ingredients:
 - 4 chicken breasts (bone in)
- 1 lemon zest
- 4 cloves of garlics, minced
- cilantro
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tbsps dijon mustard
- 1/2 jalapeno



Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon zest, garlic, cilantro, dijon mustard & jalapeno.  Coat the chicken breasts with the marinade.  Place in a roasting pan.

3.  I opted to add some yellow squash and threw some into the roasting pan.

4. Roast for about 45 minutes.

Verdict: It was pretty good.  It was an easy recipe that was full of flavor.  Great for leftovers too.  We made a side of orzo with peas, basil & tomatoes.  

White Bean & Kale Stew

I decided to make this white bean stew as I needed to make a big batch of something, that would be good for leftovers.  This turned out perfect & I actually doubled the below recipe.  I also added in some jalapeno to give it a kick & some Romano cheese at the end.  Sorry for the horrible photo - it was a last minute thought to take a pic of it! 

Ingredients

• 4 slices bacon, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cans (15.5 ounces each) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 bunch kale, rinsed, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 7 cups)
• 1/8 teaspoon each salt and black pepper

Directions
1. Cook bacon in a Dutch oven over medium heat for 6 minutes or until crisp; remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
2. Add onion to pot and cook for 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in beans and rosemary and cook 1 minute. Add broth to pot; bring to simmer.
3. Stir kale into beans in pot and cover; cook 5 minutes. Remove cover and stir kale until wilted. Stir in reserved bacon, salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Verdict
It was good & will definitely make it again.  Probably will make it more as a side next time.  It's filling, but you can only eat so many beans in one sitting! 

Gim Bap: Korean style rolls

My husband has been busy interviewing and jetsetting around the country.  Unsure of what time he would be coming home before catching his flight, I wanted to make sure he had some dinner, and make it travel friendly just in case he couldn't eat at home.  I made what my mom use to make whenever we would go on road trips.  Gimbap!  I must admit, they can take a lot of work if you don't have everything already.  I had luckily marinated the meat the night before. 

 

 You can also use different vegetables but the staples typically include:
- julienne carrots sauteed in sesame oil
- spinach blanched then seasoned with sesame oil & garlic
- egg made flat and cut into long strips

- takun - a Japanese yellow pickle
- crab - imitation crab
- bulgogi - Korean style meat
- julienne cucumbers

 

You want to make sure that your rice isn't too hot & too cold.  

Mix your rice with some sesame oil & seeds and spread out onto a piece of nori (seaweed).  

Roll them in a bamboo roller & voila!  

 

Verdict: He ate them, he ate them all & fast.  I thought for sure I would have leftovers! 

Fish Tacos

 

Don't really have a recipe for this - but a quick post about how awesome these were.  We made fish tacos over the weekend, and not only were they easy to make, but really delicious.  I got some mahi mahi, panko coated them and baked them in the oven at 350 degrees and flipping them half way thru.  I cut them into small pieces before coating them.  I made some guacamole, coleslaw and chopped up tomatoes, onions, peppers, cheese, corn, and limes.  And voila!  Will definitely make these again! 

Ole!

Beef & Broccoli

I keep trying new recipes for Beef & Broccoli.  This one was pretty easy to make and came out really good.  I will definitely use this recipe again.  Sorry for the bad photo - but we ate it so fast, I forgot a photo.  Here's the leftovers I took for lunch!

Ingredients:

2	tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1	tablespoon cornstarch
1	tablespoon white vinegar
1	tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1/4	teaspoon crushed red pepper
2	cloves garlic, minced
12	ounces boneless beef top sirloin steak
1	small bunch broccoli (about 1 pound)
2	teaspoons cooking oil
2	medium carrots, bias-sliced 1/8 inch thick
3/4	cup reduced-sodium beef broth
4	green onions, bias-sliced

1. For marinade, in a medium bowl, combine soy sauce, cornstarch, vinegar, ginger, crushed red pepper, and garlic. Trim fat from meat. Cut meat across the grain into 1/8-inch-thick slices. Add meat to marinade; toss to coat. Cover and marinate at room temperature for 10 minutes. Drain meat, discarding marinade.

2. Meanwhile, cut broccoli florets from stems. If desired, peel stems. Cut stems into 1/4-inch-thick slices.

3. In a wok or large skillet, heat 1 teaspoon of the oil over medium-high heat. Add meat; cook and stir in hot oil for 2 to 3 minutes or until slightly pink in center. Remove meat from wok or skillet.

4. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil to hot wok or skillet. Add broccoli and carrots; cook and stir for 1 minute. Add beef broth: cook and stir for 5 to 7 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender, stirring to scrape up any browned bits from bottom of wok or skillet. Return cooked meat to wok or skillet. Add green onions; heat through. Serve immediately over rice!

Verdict: it was easy & delicious!

Spicy Thai Marinade with Basil and Cilantro By Bill Kim

We love Bill Kim from Urban Belly.  When he was featured in Food & Wine Magazine for his Spicy Thai Marinade with Basil and Cilantro, we made it immediately. We've already made it on pork, skirt & last night flank steak.  It's so good. 

Ingredients:
-1/4 cup basil leaves
-1/4 cup cilantro leaves
-8 peeled garlic cloves
-2 tablespoons sambal oelek or other Asian chile sauce
-2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
-1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
-1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest
-1/2 cup vegetable oil

In a mini food processor, pulse the basil, cilantro, garlic, sambal oelek and fish sauce until finely chopped. Add the lemon and lime zests and oil; pulse until the marinade is fairly smooth. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Verdict:
I think so far, it's the best on skirt steak.  I took the leftovers and put it on the remaining salad for lunch the next day.  Delicious.  2 thumbs up!