Sweet Love and Ginger

Clean

Oh I Just Don’t Know & Herb Roasted Tomatoes over Chicken

By

This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

I have some sort of blues thing going on here. I’m in a funk I can’t get out of.

I’m not an emotional eater by any means, drinking and cooking on the other hand; and I don’t mean just boos. When I’m upset often time’s tea or cocoa are the only things that will sooth me. Oh and cooking, especially baking. There is something about chopping vegetables, and stirring large bowl of batter, or whipping cream that just helps. Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on your point of view) for everyone that surrounds me I rarely eat anything that I make when I’m hurting, so it gets pawned off on everyone else.

I’m having an even harder time coming up with good posts. I have no end to my food photos and recipes but the rest of the post should be filled with words and feeling too, and I’m just having a hard time of it. I feel like with so many posts I am just going through the motions giving only a little blurb about whatever recipe I am posting, and that’s not really the feeling I want to have from my blog, but with my mind clogged with so many other things it may be all I have to offer you for a time.

Bear with me for a little while. I’ll get my mojo back soon. And in the mean time here’s an amazing new recipe that I got originally from Bon Appetite. It sounded perfect for a late summer dinner with all the fresh tomatoes about. Even Chuck, who aside from actual sauce could do without tomatoes, actually liked it. This one is going to become a favorite I can tell, it tastes wonderful and I only had to alter the recipe a little to make it clean.

Herb Roasted Tomatoes over Chicken

 

Oh I Just Don’t Know & Herb Roasted Tomatoes over Chicken
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4 to 6 Servings
Ingredients
  • 3-4 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1 lb cherry tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons herbs de province
  • 1 teaspoon Salt plus additional season
  • 1 teaspoon Pepper plus additional season
  • 1 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
  • 1 shallot, minced
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
  • 1 tablespoons of tarragon
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
  2. In a large bowl combine 1 tbsp oil, tomatoes, herbs de province, salt & pepper, tossing to combine.
  3. In a large oven proof skillet heat 1 tbsp of oil over medium high heat. Add tomatoes and transfer the skillet to the oven to roast, for about 15 minutes or until the tomatoes burst. Transfer the contents of the pan to a bowl and drizzle with Worcestershire sauce.
  4. Season the chicken breast with salt and pepper. In the same pan sear the chicken breast over medium high heat for 5-6 minutes a side, you may need to add a little more oil to the pan so it doesn’t stick.
  5. Once seared, transfer the pan back into the oven to roast for an additional 10-12 minutes, to cook through.
  6. Transfer chicken to a cutting board to rest for 5-6 minutes, meanwhile, in the same skillet add an additional tbsp of oil to the pan and heat it over medium high heat, add the shallot and sauté for 1-2 minutes.
  7. Deglaze the pan with the vinegar, scrapping up some of the brown bits from the bottom. Add the tomatoes and their juices back into the pan and cook again for an additional 2-3 minutes, until the sauce begins to thicken.
  8. Adjust seasoning and serve warmed topped with a sprinkle of tarragon and parsley.

 

I paired this recipe with some brown rice, cooked in chicken broth, carrots and a few spices, Don’t ask for the recipe I made it up as I went and have no idea what I actually did, but the above recipe defiantly feels like a rice side type of recipe. What do you think? What would you pair it with?
Herb Roasted Tomatoes over Chicken

Similar Recipes:

Garlic & Herb Roast Chicken

Burst Sun Gold Tomato Sauce

Chicken w Spicy Apricot Sauce

Spinach Pesto tossed Pasta with Lemon Shrimp

By

This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

 
This dish is one that I actually made quite a while ago, for
a friend and just never got the chance to share. What I like best about it is
that it is simple and super quick but it gives an air of refinement and purpose
that hides my true intentions; for it to be quick and easy.

I don’t know about you but at the end of nearly every week I
am trying to use up the last bit of spinach in our house before it goes bad. I haven’t
been successful in growing it yet (darn rabbits!) but I still buy it every
week. For the main reason that leafy greens are important in your diet and this
way we are sure to eat them. This recipe is one of the best for using up
spinach, plus it makes whatever you are cooking so green and pretty. I have
used it as a puree under a steak, or chicken before but in this particular case
I just tossed some pasta in it and added some Lemon Thyme Shrimp from mygrilled Tapas recipe, and viola! A full beautiful and seeming complicated meal
that actually takes less than 20 minutes, or the amount of time it takes to
make pasta.

Spinach Pesto

1 package baby spinach

1 clove of garlic

1 tbsp pecorino romano cheese, grated

1 tbsp Extra Virgin olive oil

1 tbsp sliced almonds

Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend for 20
or 30 seconds until smooth and creamy. You may need to add more oil, but be
sure to do it in teaspoon increments. Add some additional cheese for garnish, and serve. (Serves 4)

Asian Glazed Chicken Legs & Carrot Ginger Dressing

By

This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

Right now I am basking in the wonder that is the great
Adirondacks in upstate NY, completely void of technology. This post I have had
ready and waiting in the wings for a while, and so it is posting on auto pilot
while I am away enjoying the awesomely long 4th of July weekend. I
hope you  like it!
These quick and easy Asian Glazed Chicken Legs are an
awesome new twist for tossing chicken on the grill, and this zingy Asian style
dressing over a salad is the perfect pairing for a quick and simple summer
meal.
Asian Glazed Chicken Legs

¼ cup honey

1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce

1 tbsp fresh grated ginger root

4 cloves garlic, minced

6 chicken legs

In a large bowl stir together honey, soy sauce, ginger, and
garlic. Place chicken in the bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour (can be
left over night). Once marinated place chicken on a preheated grill over medium
high heat for 20-30 minutes, rotating every 5-10 minutes, until well done.
While the chicken is cooking pour the remaining marinade into a sauce pan and
simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes until it thickens. Use this liquid to
baste the chicken once it’s done. Serve warm.
The dressing may look complicated because you have to cook
down the carrot, but leftover grilled, or roasted carrots work as well, and you
can always make the dressing a few days ahead, and use it as a dip, or on
additional salads throughout the week.
Carrot Ginger Dressing

¼ cup carrots, cooked

1 tbsp minced ginger

1 small garlic clove

1 tbsp minced onion

2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

2 tsp low sodium soy sauce

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tbsp oil

Place all ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth.
Serve chilled.

Quick, Easy Clean: Crock Pot Chicken Broth

By

This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

Homemade chicken broth is the best kind of broth, that’s for
sure. It is so versatile that I use it nearly every day, but with a full time
job, and a social life finding time to spend hours simmering a pot of broth on
the stove is not always possible.

To be honest I feel silly for not having thought of this
before. There have been numerous time when my heart broke to have to throw out
an entire chicken carcass; it’s just a complete waste. But now I have the
perfect solution; the crock pot.

I usually roast my chicken in a crock pot anyway, for the
same reasons I don’t always make broth (my busy life), so why not make the
broth in a crock pot?

On this particular occasion I had roasted an entire chicken
for the sole reason to supply Chuck with lunch meat. When I see whole chicken
for sale for less than a dollar, you can bet that always buy one sometimes 2 or
3. You cannot beat that price for a couple dinners and/or a week’s worth of
lunches.

Roasting a chicken in a crock pot is pretty easy, I just rub
it and stuff it with whatever spices are on my mind at the time with (usually 2
tsp salt, 2 tsp pepper, 2 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp curry, and stuffed ½ an
onion and a couple cloves of garlic), line the pot with tinfoil, as shown
below, and put it on low for 8 hours. Once it’s done its edible, but I like the
crispy skin and carmelization that you get from roasting, so I use the tin foil
to transfer the chicken over to a roasting pan and pop it in the oven at 425
for 20-30 minutes, until the skin is golden and crispy.

Now since I was just planning on using it for lunches I used
the tin foil to transfer it to a cutting board where I could break it down more
easily. Everything that isn’t going into sandwiches or salads goes back into
the crockpot, along with some other things of course; the recipe is below for
all of that.

Finding time to make old recipes, and homemade food work in
this busy modern life is truly a wonderful blessing that makes my heart happy.

Crock Pot Chicken Broth

1 leftover chicken Carcass (or bones), meat removed

1 onion chopped (leave the peel on)

1 rib of celery

1 carrot, roughly chopped

1 sprig fresh parsley

1 sprig of fresh thyme

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

2 bay leaves

Place all ingredients in the crock pot and cover with water
(leaving at least ½” at the top). Place the crock pot on low for 8-10 hours;
Once cooked pass the stock through a fine sieve to remove the leftover herbs,
bones and pieces. At this point you may simmer on the stovetop for 30 minutes
to an hour to further reduce, or use as is. It can remain refrigerated for
roughly 5 days, or frozen for later use.

Random Side note: DO NOT leave the butter Dish next to the
crock pot while it is doing its thing. I have done this at least 3 times
recently, and it never ends well.

On a Chickpea Kick: 3 Recipes

By

This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

I don’t know what’s gotten into me and Chuck lately, but we
love the Chickpeas. He saw a recipe for toasted Chickpeas in a magazine in the
bathroom at his mothers; apparently he had no other reading options (boys!) and
wanted me to make them, so from his memory and my experimenting I came up with
this recipe.

Garlic Parmesan Toasted Chickpeas

2 15 oz cans of chickpeas (Garbonzo Beans), drained & Rinsed

1 tbs extra virgin
Olive Oil

1 tbsp garlic
powder

1 tsp sea salt

¼ cup parmesan Cheese

Spread chick peas out over paper towels and allow them to dry. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Transfer chickpeas to a baking sheet and drizzle with oil, Sprinkle garlic powder and salt over the top, and give them a good toss to coat. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes, or until they become golden and crispy. Once semi-cooled toss with parmesan cheese and serve.

 

Then last week I came across a pretty fancy recipe in Bon Apetite, which I was dying to make when I first saw it months ago, but so not feeling like putting the effort into. As you know I love to improvise, and made it up my own way. This resulted in the recipe below, which is an awesome, single skillet, budget friendly and vegetarian meal. Now I did serve this with a side of meat for Chuck, though I ate just this dish and it was completely satisfying for me.

Rosemary Chickpeas with Ditalini

1 cup ditalini
1 cup pasta water
1 onion, diced
1 carrot diced (optional)
1 can chick peas drained2 tbs tomato paste
2 tsp rosemary
½ tsp cracked red pepper
Large bunch of fresh spinach
Salt & pepper to taste

Cook ditalini according to package instructions, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Meanwhile in a large skillet saute onion in oil, until it begins to turn translucent. If you are adding carrot add it at this time. Stir in chickpeas, tomato paste, pasta water, rosemary, and cracked red pepper. Cook for 5-6 mintues, stirring often. Remove from heat, add spinach and toss. Adjust seasonings and serve warm. (serves 4-6)

Since I’m talking about Chickpeas I thought it only appropriate to also add my Super Garlicky Hummus Recipe. I make this all the time, because it’s so easy. I have also been known to swap the garlic for roasted red peppers, jalapeños, herbs, sun dried tomatoes and about a million other things. It’s pretty versatile, so you can add nearly anything, oh and did I mention it’s cheap? You can get a whole 16oz can of chickpeas for less than a dollar, and most of the other vegetables and oils that can be used to mix in are things that you probably have in your pantry or can be leftover from another recipe, so at the most you would spend 2-3 dollars total for double or even triple the quantity of the premade stuff that typically costs 4-5 dollars. I simply cannot understand why anyone would buy hummus to eat at home when it is this freaking easy. Really check out the recipe below if you don’t believe me.

Super Garlicky Hummus

1 Can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
3 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 tbs lemon juice
1 tsp salt & pepper, each
3 tbs oil
2 tbs water

Place all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.
Add more water if the mixture begins to clump. Serve immediately, or store in the fridge for up to 1 week.