The Nifty Foodie

I can’t believe it’s April already. Wasn’t I just wrapping Christmas gifts last week or something? With Spring in full force, it’s time to fork out the grill! I absolutely LOVE warmer months, because I’m a sucker for grilled everything! Also, usually my husband volunteers to do the cooking on grilling nights. (Win!)

Grilled Chicken Fajitas

Source:  The Way the Cookie Crumbles, originally by Cooks Illustrated

Ingredients:

• ⅓ cup juice from 2 to 3 limes
• 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1½ teaspoons brown sugar
• 1 jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed, minced
• 1½ tablespoons minced fresh cilantro leaves
• table salt and ground black pepper
• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1½ pounds), trimmed of fat, tenderloins removed, pounded to ½-inch thickness
• 1 large red onion (about 14 ounces), peeled and cut into ½-inch-thick rounds (do not separate rings)
• 1 large red bell pepper (about 10 ounces), quartered, stemmed, and seeded
• 1 large green bell pepper (about 10 ounces), quartered, stemmed, and seeded
• 8-12 (6-inch) flour tortillas

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the lime juice, 4 tablespoons oil, garlic, Worcestershire, brown sugar, jalapeno, cilantro, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¾ teaspoon pepper. Reserve ¼ cup marinade in a small bowl; set aside. Add another teaspoon salt to the remaining marinade. Place the chicken in the marinade; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 15 minutes. Brush both sides of the onion rounds and the peppers with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and season with salt and pepper.
2. Remove the chicken from the marinade and place it smooth side down on the hotter side of the grill; discard the remaining marinade. Place the onion rounds and peppers (skin side down) on the cooler side of the grill. Cook the chicken until it’s well browned, 4 to 5 minutes; using tongs, flip the chicken and continue grilling until it’s no longer pink when cut into with a paring knife or an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers about 160 degrees, 4 to 5 minutes longer. Meanwhile, cook the peppers until spottily charred and crisp-tender, 8 to 10 minutes, turning once or twice as needed; cook the onions until tender and charred on both sides, 10 to 12 minutes, turning every 3 to 4 minutes. When the chicken and vegetables are done, transfer them to a large plate; tent with foil to keep warm.
3. Working in 2 or 3 batches, place the tortillas in a single layer on the cooler side of the now-empty grill and cook until warm and lightly browned, about 20 seconds per side (do not grill too long or the tortillas will become brittle). As the tortillas are done, wrap them in a kitchen towel or a large sheet of foil.
4. Separate the onions into rings and place them in a medium bowl; slice the bell peppers lengthwise into ¼-inch strips and place them in the bowl with the onions. Add 2 tablespoons reserved unused marinade to the vegetables and toss well to combine. Slice the chicken into ¼-inch strips and toss with the remaining 2 tablespoons reserved marinade in another bowl; arrange the chicken and vegetables on a large platter and serve with the warmed tortillas.

You may not know this, but in real life, I’m a fairly shy person. I love blogging because my voice comes across in my writing, however, the subject of vlogging has always made me nervous.

I will say, though, I really do love watching vlogs from bloggers I’ve followed for a while. I always have an idea in my head about how people’s voices sound, and usually I’m wrong. It’s always a fun surprise to actually hear a blogger for the first time, you know?

Well, I definitely had to bite the bullet when Foodbuzz informed me that a recipe idea I submitted for their Tastemaker’s Program was accepted! The criteria was to make a vlog featuring my simple (30 minute or less) recipe that uses Newman’s Own products. I couldn’t believe it when I saw the package at my door!! It included quite a few salad dressings, pasta sauces, and ::gasp:: a FLIP CAMERA!! So, thank you so much Foodbuzz and Newman’s Own for this amazing opportunity. You helped me take the giant leap into vlogging.

Hope y’all don’t laugh at me too much. I stumbled on my words a few times, but I think I actually want to do this again!

FTC disclosure: I was supplied Newman’s Own products and a Flip camera for free, but my opinions of this recipe are completely my own.

It’s very rare that we go out for Italian food. While I absolutely LOVE Italian cuisine, the hubs isn’t a really huge fan and totally has to be in the right mood for it. When I was thinking of a new recipe to try in the house, I thought, well, why not make the hubs’ favorite dish: chicken parmesan?

However, I really despise frying. Everytime I try to fry something, I can’t quite control the oil and it either ends up undercooked or burnt. Plus, I end up burnt too from the oil splatters..it’s a crappy situation. Oh yeah, and since I’m trying to lose weight, well, frying isn’t in my vocabulary for the moment.

So, I found a Cooks Illustrated recipe, which really has never steered me wrong when it comes to baking food dishes that are traditionally fried, and I tried this. It really didn’t take that long to throw together, and the hubs really enjoyed it. Yay!

Lighter Chicken Parmesan
Source: Cooks Illustrated 

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups panko (Japanese-style bread crumbs)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 ounce grated Parmesan cheese (about 1/2 cup), plus extra for serving
• 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
• Table salt and ground black pepper
• 3 large egg whites
• 1 tablespoon water
• Vegetable cooking spray
• 3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 8 ounces each), trimmed of excess fat and sliced into cutlets
• 2 cups tomato sauce , warmed (see below)
• 3 ounces shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (about 3/4 cup)
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh basil

Tomato Sauce

• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 4 medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 4 teaspoons)
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh basil leaves
• Table salt and ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Pulse the tomatoes in a food processor until mostly smooth, about ten 1-second pulses; set aside. Cook the garlic, tomato paste, oil, and pepper flakes in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the tomato paste begins to brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in the pureed tomatoes and cook until the sauce is thickened and measures 2 cups, about 20 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the basil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and set aside until needed.
2. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 475 degrees. Combine the bread crumbs and oil in a 12-inch skillet and toast over medium heat, stirring often, until golden, about 10 minutes. Spread the bread crumbs in a shallow dish and cool slightly; when cool, stir in the Parmesan.
3. In a second shallow dish, combine the flour, garlic powder, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper together. In a third shallow dish, whisk the egg whites and water together.
4. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, place a wire rack on top, and spray the rack with vegetable oil spray. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper. Lightly dredge the cutlets in the flour, shaking off the excess, then dip into the egg whites, and finally coat with the bread crumbs, Press on the bread crumbs to make sure they adhere. Lay the chicken on the wire rack.
5. Spray the tops of the chicken with vegetable oil spray. Bake until the meat is no longer pink in the center and feels firm when pressed with a finger, about 15 minutes.

My husband and I aren’t wine drinkers. There, I said it. My palate is not sophisticated enough to distinguish different wines, nor am I able to just enjoy a good wine event. I’m not at all drawn to the taste of it, but I sort of wish I was. The only time I buy wine is when I have a recipe to cook with, and even then I’m clueless on the wine aisle. I need the exact type spelled out for me or else, I’m calling on one of my wine expert friends.

My friend and her mom came to visit on Saturday night, and we ordered pizza. She offered to bring wine and beer, but all I wanted was Diet Dr. Pepper. I’m fully aware of my drinking immaturity, but I do embrace it. Diet Dr. Pepper, after all, is zero calories.

She brought some Pinot Grigio for her mom, and there was quite a bit leftover. So, her mom offered up a simple way to fix chicken so we could use it up, since she didn’t want to bring it home with her. Wow, was this chicken moist and flavorful and really simple to put together.

Since today’s Foodbuzz Daily Special product is this skillet, I wanted to feature an easy and tasty weeknight meal to make in a skillet. Personally, we just use a non-stick skillet pan, like this one, to make this recipe.

I fixed up a side of Buitoni’s ravioli, which I received complimentary of Foodbuzz’s Tastemaker program. It was absolutely delicious.

Rosemary Lemon Chicken
Source: My friend’s Mom

Ingredients:

• 1/2 bottle Pinot Grigio
• 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• juice of one lemon
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 boneless chicken breasts
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Pound chicken breasts to an even thickness.
2. Add salt and pepper to the chicken on each side and sear on each side on medium-high for a couple of minutes.
3. Set the heat to low, and add the wine, rosemary sprigs, garlic and lemon juice.
4. Cover the skillet and cook for 20-25 minutes, until the chicken is cooked all the way through.

I love the idea of food on a stick. It’s so amazingly convenient to not get your hands or utensils dirty. Popsicles, corn dogs, roasted marshmallows…and now, kabobs. I’ve never had a kabob before, and it’s not because I was intimidated, it’s just something I don’t think much about. I’m more of a comfort food gal.

Nowadays though, my husband and I have a friendly bet going on. We’re challenging ourselves to lose as much weight as we can in 6 months. The motivation? A $300 prize. We each put in $150 of our own “fun” money for this, and now it’s time to bring on the competition. So, because of the bet (and the need to eat healthier), we are looking for better food options to help with the weight loss. Bye bye comfort food!

I saw this recipe on Annie’s Eats, and knew this would be a good dinner to cook since it’s light, involves garlic and is something new to try (kabobs). This chicken turned out flavorful and moist. The marinade is so simple to put together too! I think this would be a great weeknight dinner, especially for the summer. I served the chicken with onion/bell pepper kabobs too as a side, although, for next time, I’m gonna need a better, more filling side dish. If anyone has suggestions, please give me some ideas!

Garlic Lemon Chicken Kabobs
Source: Annie’s Eats (adapted from Williams Sonoma)

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 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

Directions:

1. 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.
2. Prepare a medium fire in a grill.  If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for at least 20 minutes before use.
3. Thread the chicken pieces onto skewers 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 warmed platter and serve immediately.