Balsamic Chicken with 3 Grain Risotto & Summer Squash Medley

I'm almost hesitant to say this in case someone has problems with this recipe, but my husband told me this was one of my best chicken dishes so far. And I had to agree that it was good. While digging for some olive oil in my pantry, I spotted the balsamic vinegar and threw it over the simmering chicken, while crossing my fingers. It ended up being delicious. You can have dinner ready in about 30 minutes with frozen chicken--you can make the sides simultaneously. I think the chicken may take a little less time if you use defrosted chicken instead of frozen.

We had the chicken with a summer squash saute and a Trader Joe's 3-Grain Blend Risotto (about $2.29) that I doctored up. If you are near a TJ's--try this! My aunt introduced me to it and I'm sold! You can cook this risotto in a separate pot on another burner next to the chicken.

Why I love this Trader Joe's 3 Grains Blend risotto:

1) It's healthier than white rice
2) It is creamy like risotto
3) It takes about half the time to cook
4) No continual stirring over the stove as with traditional risotto.

If you don't have a TJ's near you, try a multigrain pilaf from any grocery store. Or any starch you prefer.

BALSAMIC CHICKEN WITH SUMMER SQUASH MEDLEY

Serves 4-6 (depending on the thickness of your chicken breasts)

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 4-6 chicken breasts (I use 5 big frozen chicken breasts)
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• Scant 1/4 (or less) cup balsamic vinegar
• Salt & pepper, to taste (I tried a chardonnay scented coarse salt once & was bowled over)

Place all ingredients in a large (non-stick) skillet or frying/saute pan. Bring to a low boil and continue to cook for about 10 minutes. Flip the chicken and reduce heat to medium low. Continue to cook until most of the liquid evaporates and the chicken is cooked through (skim off any fat). This took about another 20 minutes for me with frozen chicken breasts. The chicken will be caramelized and brown when ready.

Cover to keep warm until ready to serve.


3-Grain Blend Risotto with Olives & Tomato

Serves 4-6 (with leftovers)

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, minced
• 1 tomato, diced
• ~1/3 cup sliced pimento-stuffed green olives
• 1/4 tsp. dried parsley
• Salt & pepper, to taste
• 1 cup Trader Joe's 3-Grain Blend (rice, barley, spelt)
• 2.5 cups of water or chicken broth (I used water)

Saute onion for a minute or two in olive oil. Add water and bring to a boil. Then add all the remaining ingredients and stir until combined. Cook according to package directions--about 16 minutes or until liquid has evaporated.

Serve the risotto with the chicken. (We had leftovers of the risotto.)


Summer Squash Medley

Serves 4 as a side dish (may have leftovers)

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 onion or a couple shallots, diced
• 1 zucchini, sliced in ~1/3 inch rounds
• 1 yellow summer squash,  sliced in ~1/3 inch rounds
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1 clove minced garlic
• Salt & pepper, to taste.

Saute onion in olive oil until it is almost translucent. Add the rest of the ingredients and continue to saute until the zucchini is cooked through (only takes a few minutes--we like ours fork-tender).

 

 

To serve: Plate the chicken with the risotto and summer squash medley. Top with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese and/or chopped fresh basil.

Tomato, Squash & Feta Gratin

Hello folks! Let me introduce you to my new favorite vegetable side dish....courtesy of the Costco Connection. I have SO many summer vegetable gratin recipes. And for some reason, I never made a one. Not today. Today was not the day that I would shirk away from a dreamy vegetarian, eye-popping recipe. This took about 15 minutes to assemble. The dish requires few ingredients and yes, it's worth turning on your oven for this one once the sun goes down.  This side dish is truly wonderful--a little cheese goes a long way and I'm mighty disappointed I didn't make two pans of this gratin. Serve it with a rice pilaf and grilled meat. I was thinking it would also go well with some roast chicken (or Worthington multigrain cutlets) and mashed potatoes.

The recipe below is the one featured in Connie Guttersen's book, The New Sonoma Cookbook. Dr. Guttersen is the creator of "The Sonoma Diet". Another cookbook that I own, that has yet to be dusted off. But now that I've tried this recipe, I can't wait to see what else she's got for me :))

And speaking of Sonoma...did I mention how in love with it I am? Below is a (tiny) picture my husband took from a trip back a few years ago while we were at the wonderful Chateau St. Jean winery--an exquistely beautiful and peaceful place (just couldn't get the picture to stretch with my blog format).

So, while we can't exactly go back to Sonoma for a while....I will enjoy its food. Hope you will too!

TOMATO, SQUASH, AND FETA GRATIN

Serves 4 as a side dish

• 6 oz zucchini sliced 1/4" on long bias
• 6 oz yellow squash sliced 1/'8' on long bias
• 2 scallions chopped
• 1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 1/2 tsp. oregano
• 2 oz feta cheese, crumbled (I used reduced fat feta cheese)
• 12 oz tomatoes cut in half then sliced 1/4"thick crosswise (If you use Roma tomatoes, you don't need to cut again)
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• salt & pepper to taste

 

Lightly oil 6" diameter corning ware or pyrex dish (Dr. Guttersen says saute pan works fine too).

 

Toss zucchini with salt & pepper. Toss yellow squash with salt & pepper. In a bowl mix scallions, garlic, oregano, & feta.

 

Lay zucchini slices in pan slightly overlapping like shingles. Sprinkle with salt & pepper. Top with a layer of tomatoes slightly overlapping. Sprinkle on half of the scallion mix. Top with a layer of yellow squash & another of tomatoes sprinkling each with salt & pepper. Top with remaining scallion mix then drizzle with olive oil.

Bake for 30 min at 400 degrees or until top is slightly browned. Allow to sit for 10 min then cut into wedges & serve. 4 servings.
 
Here's the part where I come clean: I didn't follow the recipe exactly because I was lazy. I didn't weigh the squash, tomatoes, etc....I can tell you that I used approximately 1.5 zucchinis, 2 yellow squash zucchinis, about 3 Roma tomatoes, 1 big clove of garlic, and 1 1/2 green onions. Then I mixed the olive oil with the garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. I alternated the vegetables in the pan, drizzled the oil-garlic-oregano on top and sprinkled it all with the green onions and feta. My way seemed much easier (maybe it's not). And it was simply amazing. I'm going to continue to eat my vegetables this way....

The Only Way I'll Make Macaroni & Cheese From Now On

Here's another 'healthier' approach--even though I added more cheese to the original recipe. I am SO glad I stumbled upon this gem of a recipe! My dinner guests asked if I was covering this recipe on the food blog....they didn't have to ask...first bite was heaven and my daughter asked for 'more' three different times when offered leftovers. Who knew that you could 'hide' squash in a decadent comfort food?!

The only thing I might to different next time is to add a little more milk in the filling--since I added more topping, it seemed to need it. (Think about it-the crispy topping is one of the best things about mac & cheese...) Here are most of your ingredients:

Try this recipe. You will be so glad you did--and sorry vegans, this is one of those recipes that reminds me why I could give never give up cheese.

SQUASH MACARONI WITH FOUR CHEESES
Adapted from Elie Krieger--below is my version, but here is original

1 pound elbow macaroni (I used whole grain rotini pasta)
2 (10-ounce) packages frozen pureed winter squash
2 cups milk (skim worked fine)
4 oz. extra-sharp Cheddar, grated (about 1 1/3 cups)
4 oz. Monterrey jack cheese, grated (about 2/3 cup)
1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. powdered mustard
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/8-1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
8 Tbsp. Panko bread crumbs (regular is fine-but Panko adds better 'crunch')
6 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup cheese of your choice for topping (optional-I used a 4 cheese blend)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until tender but firm, about 5 to 8 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.

Meanwhile, place the frozen squash and milk into a large saucepan and cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally and breaking up the squash with a spoon until it is defrosted. Turn the heat up to medium and cook until the mixture is almost simmering, stirring occasionally.

Remove the pan from heat and stir in the Cheddar, Monterrey Jack cheese, cottage cheese, salt, mustard, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper. Pour cheese mixture over the macaroni and stir to combine. Transfer the macaroni and cheese to the baking dish.

Combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and oil in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the top of the macaroni and cheese (This is also the point I added a big handful of shredded cheese--go ahead and judge).

Bake for 20 minutes, then broil for 3 minutes so the top is crisp and nicely browned.

Serves 8 with a vegetable side and a protein.

Don't Look Sideways at These Sides-Vegetable Adventures

It's often difficult to find supporting actors (your side dishes) to the leads (your meats & proteins) that don't include cheese. Not that I have an issue with cheese--in fact, this household happens to believe that cheese deserves its own food group. However, we have just gotten back from a vacation and we need a break from rich food. I'm always looking for new ways to cook vegetables.

Here are three side dishes that don't make you feel like you are eating vegetables just to meet your daily quota.


ROASTED CAULIFLOWER WITH KALAMATA OLIVES


1 head of cauliflower, rinsed well and broken up into bite-sized pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. truffle-infused olive oil
1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1/3 cup pitted Kalamata olives, quartered
1/4 chopped parsley (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. On a large baking sheet, toss the cauliflower with the garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and black pepper. Spread florets evenly on the baking sheet and roast for approximately 30 minutes or until the cauliflower begins to brown, stirring halfway through.

Add olives and continue to roast for 10 more minutes, or until the cauliflower is golden and the olives begin to shrivel.

Remove from oven, sprinkle with chopped parsley (if using) and serve immediately.

Makes approximately 4 side servings.

Note: This was very good! I suspect that some chopped hazelnuts or pine nuts thrown in with the olives at the last 10 minutes of roasting would elevate this dish to even greater heights.






SPICY SQUASH RIBBONS WITH ONIONS & PEPPERS

1/3 cup diced onion (approximately)
2 medium sized yellow summer squash
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
salt, to taste
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper


Spray a medium sized frying pan with olive oil spray. Over medium heat, saute the onion until it becomes clearer--aproximately 3-5 minutes (being careful to watch that it doesn't brown).


Using a juliene peeler (click here to see what one looks like--this is the very one I have), carefully julienne the squash--taking care not to cut yourself. You may need to discard a lot of the middle portion of the seeded part of the squash.

Add the squash and red pepper to the sauteed onions and toss gently. Add the salt and crushed red pepper. Saute for a few minutes until the red pepper has softened and the onions start to turn a bit brown. At this point, take the squash off the heat as you want it to still have a bit of give to it when bitten into.

Serve while dish is warm. Makes approximately 4 side servings.

Note: This dish turned out wonderfully sweet & spicy--very spicy. Adjust pepper to your taste if you do not care for a lot of heat in your food.

GREEK-STYLE LIMA BEANS (adapted from Gourmet Magazine)


1 (10-ounce) package frozen baby lima beans
1 cup water
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
Crushed black pepper, to taste


Cook lima beans, water, 1 tablespoons oil, 1 tablespoon parsley, garlic, and salt in a 2-quart heavy saucepan, tightly covered, over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender, 17 to 20 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a bowl.

Serve sprinkled with remaining tablespoon parsley and drizzled with remaining tablespoon oil.

(Note: I skipped the extra olive oil drizzle in the picture above. These are absolutely delicious!)

All in all, we decided to make a meal out of these three with a veggie meat roast. These side dishes are another reason I don't believe you have to eat boring as a vegetarian. Hope you all enjoy them too.