Vinegar Glossed Chicken

Courtesy of Wives with Knives Blog

I admit, I usually buy boneless, skinless chicken breasts to be healthy...but this go around, I had to go for the chicken thighs with the skin on! The recipe really caught my attention, again, because I love vinegar :) I must say -- cooking with bone in and the skin on sure does give it a lot of flavor! This dish was yummy and wasn't over the top with vinegar. I highly recommend it!

1 cup best-quality red wine vinegar
3-4 garlic cloves, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
3 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped (about 1 tablespoon)
3 pounds bone-in chicken pieces
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 cup chicken broth, plus more as needed

At least 15 minutes and up to 2 hours before cooking combine the vinegar, garlic and rosemary to marinate chicken.

Thoroughly season chicken pieces with salt and pepper.  Heat a large, heavy skillet over high heat and swirl enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan.  Place the chicken in the skillet, skin side down.  Don't crowd the chicken; leave space around each piece.  Work in batches if necessary.  You should hear an immediate sizzle when the chicken pieces hit the pan.  Don't move them.  It takes a few minutes to sear the chicken so it doesn't stick.  Brown all sides; this can take up to 10 minutes per batch.  Regulate the heat so it stays high but does not burn the chicken.  Place all the browned chicken back into the skillet.

Add chicken broth and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.  Lower the heat, simmer, and reduce for 15 to 20 minutes.  Increase the heat to high and pour in the vinegar mixture.  Swirl the pan and stir around as the vinegar evaporates to form a simmering glaze, 8-10 minutes.  Serve immediately or refrigerate and reheat with some extra broth.

Herb Marinated Green Beans

Courtesy of One Perfect Bite Blog

This would make a really great side or snack! My Mom made something similar to this recently and I loved them -- probably because they have vinegar in them :) My Mom used to catch me on the counter drinking vinegar with a spoon as a kid...doesn't sound as appetizing now, but I do still love vinegar! This is easy - I used canned green beans for this and it was so easy.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon fresh oregano
5 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 pound green beans
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste (Kosher or sea salt)
Fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions:
1) Choose a large bowl and place parsley, basil, oregano and vinegar in it. let it steep for 10 minutes. Add onion and garlic and mix well. Let steep for another 30 minutes.
2) Snap off ends of green beans, rinse in cold water, and drop them into boiling salt water. Drain string beans while still very firm. Add warm green beans to bowl with vinegar and herbs. Marinate for a minimum of 1 hour and as much as 5 or 6 hours. Mix thoroughly from time-to-time. Serve beans at room temperature, adding olive oil and salt and pepper to taste just before serving.

Salmon Burgers (version 2)

Adapted from Ezra Pound Cake Blog

Yes, I already have a recipe on my blog for salmon cakes - and that was adapted from my Dad's recipe. They were tasty! I then came across this other recipe, so figured I'd give it a whirl. This time I used fresh salmon, which I think I'd recommend if it's possible. If not, canned/packaged definitely works too!

• 1 pound skinless, boneless salmon
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 shallots, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1/2 cup coarse bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon capers, drained
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• juice from half of 1 lemon
• few dashes of Old Bay seasoning
• Remoulade sauce, for topping

1. Cut the salmon into large chunks, and put about a quarter of it into the container of a food processor, along with the mustard. Turn the machine on, and let it run – stopping to scrape down the sides if necessary – until the mixture becomes pasty.
2. Add the shallots and the remaining salmon, and pulse the machine until the fish is chopped and combined with the puree. No piece should be larger than a quarter inch or so; be careful not make the mixture too fine.
3. Scrape the mixture into a bowl, and stir in the bread crumbs, lemon juice, old bay, capers and some salt and pepper. Shape into four burgers.
4. Place the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet, and turn the heat to medium-high. When the oil is hot, cook the burgers for 2 to 3 minutes a side, turning once. Alternatively, you can grill them: let them firm up on the first side, grilling about 4 minutes, before turning over and finishing for just another minute or two. To check for doneness, make a small cut and peek inside. Be careful not to overcook. Serve on a bed of greens or on buns or by themselves with remoulade.

Skillet Eggs with Squash & Zucchini

Adapted from Food Network Magazine (July/August 2011)

I'm ashamed that I haven't posted anything in as long as it's been! This usually means that I've been bad by eating out, going to too many happy hours, and most likely going out of town on the weekends! However, a lot of fun has been had in the past couple of weeks, but now it's back to the grind and cooking! I decided to make a new breakfast dish since the weekend seems to be the perfect time to do this. One note - your life will be a lot easier if you have a food processor with the shred attachment. This is now my new favorite toy :)

INGREDIENTS:
4 medium summer squash and/or zucchini (I used 2 of each)
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
1 leek, sliced thinly (white and about an inch of the green portion)
1 dash ground red cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
6 large eggs
1/2 cup freshly grated smoked gouda

DIRECTIONS:

Grate the squash into a colander using the large holes of a box grater (or use a food processor fitted with the shredding attachment). Toss with 1 tablespoon salt, then let drain in the sink, 30 to 40 minutes. Squeeze the squash to remove as much liquid as possible.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Heat the olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Set aside 3 tablespoons scallion greens. Add the remaining scallions (white and green parts), the leeks, the cayenne pepper, and salt to taste and cook until the scallions are soft, about 3 minutes. Add the shredded squash and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 7 minutes. Stir in the parsley, nutmeg, and pepper to taste. Cook until the mixture is slightly dry, about 1 more minute. Remove from the heat and let cool, 5 minutes.

Spread the squash evenly in the skillet. Make six indentations in the mixture with the back of a spoon; put 1/2 teaspoon butter in each one. One at a time, crack each egg into a small bowl and pour into an indentation. Season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with the cheese.

Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the egg whites are set and the yolks are cooked to desired doneness, 10 to 12 minutes. Scatter the reserved scallion greens on top.

Red Snapper with Leeks & Tomatoes

Courtesy of Epicurious

Red snapper is a tasty fish and whenever it's fresh at the grocery store, I tend to take some home! I wanted to try something different and found this recipe on Epicurious' website. I did halve the recipe, and I also made some measuring adjustments (aka I eyeballed everything and made a change or so). The below is what I went with, but you can find the original recipe on Epicurious' website. Mmmmm seafood...I can never get enough!

• 2 red snapper fillets
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 medium leeks (white and pale green parts only), thinly sliced
• 1 large garlic clove, chopped
• canned Italian seasoned, peeled plum tomatoes, chopped (I took these out the can, about 5, and cut through them)
• 1 tb balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350°F. Sprinkle fish on both sides with salt and pepper; place in baking dish (preferably glass). Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add leeks and garlic and sauté until leeks are tender and beginning to brown, about 6 minutes. Add Italian seasoning, tomatoes and a spoon full of the tomato sauce to skillet; stir until tomatoes are combined, about 2 minutes. Mix in vinegar; season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon leek mixture over fish fillets. Bake until fish fillets are just opaque in center, about 20 minutes (depending on thickness of the fish).

Summer Risotto & Seared Scallops with Meyer Lemon Buerre Blanc

Courtesy of Cooking Light

This started out as two separate dinners, but then I decided to combine them into one. The flavors just seemed to go together. I will say it turned out really well, but it was definitely somewhat time consuming and took some serious coordination in the kitchen -- especially when you're tired! However, it was worth it :) As usual, these were great for leftovers. The fun thing about the risotto is that you can sub in or out whichever veggies you want, so get creative! I also got to use my new herb garden -- this is very exciting!

Seared Scallops with Meyer Lemon Buerre Blanc

• 2/3 cup fresh Meyer lemon juice (about 6 lemons)
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 3 tablespoons minced shallots
• 2 thyme sprigs
• 3 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into pieces
• 3/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
• Cooking spray
• 1 1/2 pounds dry sea scallops
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme (optional)

Combine first 4 ingredients in a small heavy saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Cook until reduced to about 1/4 cup (about 8 minutes). Remove from heat; discard thyme sprigs. Add butter, 1 piece at a time, stirring constantly with a whisk until butter is thoroughly incorporated. Strain mixture through a fine sieve over a bowl, pressing to release all of the sauce; discard solids. Stir in sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle both sides of scallops evenly with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Add scallops to pan; cook 2 minutes. Turn scallops over; cook 1 minute or until desired degree of doneness. Serve scallops with sauce; sprinkle with chopped thyme, if desired.

Summer Lemon-Vegetable Risotto

• 8 ounces asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 8 ounces sugar snap peas, trimmed and cut in half (I left these out because I didn't have any)
• 5 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 (8-ounce) zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• 1 (8-ounce) yellow squash, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• 4 3/4 cups organic vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
• 1 cup uncooked Arborio rice
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh pecorino Romano cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add asparagus and peas; cook for 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and rinse under cold water. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 teaspoons olive oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add zucchini and squash to pan; cook for 7 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Set aside. Bring vegetable broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan (do not boil). Keep warm over low heat. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add shallots, and cook for 3 minutes or until tender. Stir in rice, and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in wine; cook until liquid is absorbed (about 30 seconds), stirring constantly. Stir in 1 cup broth; cook 5 minutes or until liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. Reserve 1/4 cup broth. Add remaining broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of broth is absorbed before adding the next (about 22 minutes total). Stir in vegetables; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat; stir in reserved 1/4 cup broth and remaining ingredients.

Final Product: Serve risotto, topped with scallops and drizzled with the lemon buerre blanc.

Stewed Okra & Tomatoes

Courtesy of Plated Perfection

I am totally shocked that I have not eaten okra before, especially being that I am from a small town called King & Queen County, VA. I have lived in Arlington, VA for 7 years and don't ever see myself leaving, but one thing I took away from my upbringing was my terrific family and their amazing food. This is something I am surprised wasn't around for dinner, but maybe it was and I just claimed I didn't like it :) I used to do that as a child. Long story short, I decided to try cooking some of these babies up. They turned out pretty yummy! It's a fun way to spice up the boring vegetables you're used to eating!

• 1 bag frozen cut okra (since this was my first time, I didn't want to mess with prepping fresh okra)
• 1 can/box of chopped tomatoes (I used Pomi -- delicious!!!!)
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• dash of pepper, to taste
• dash of salt, to taste
• 1-2 tb olive oil (your preference)

In a Dutch oven, saute the onion in olive oil until transluscent (about 5 minutes or so). Toss in the frozen okra and stir. Stir in the chopped tomatoes. Simmer over Medium heat and continue to stir every few minutes. Toss in the salt and pepper to taste. Slurp up and enjoy!