Chicken & Black Bean Smoky Rice Skillet

Adapted from Picky Palate

I've had this recipe in my queue for some time, but finally got around to making it! I have been pretty busy with our new addition, this cutie pie named Patches :) -- she's a French Bulldog and so adorable that I can barely say no to her! In any event, last night I needed something somewhat easy to make that would preferably give us some leftovers. This was a great dish! We were both big fans, and I actually think it would also be good on lettuce wraps or tortillas. I just adjusted the seasoning a little and then cut the recipe in half. Definitely a great, hearty meal! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1.5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3/4 cups finely chopped white onion
• 1 cup sliced zucchini
• 1 cup sliced yellow squash
• 1-2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1.5 cups cooked shredded chicken
• 8 ounces can black beans, drained
• 1.5 cups prepared rice medley (I used Uncle Ben's Long Grain + Wild Rice Medley)
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika 
• approx 1 tsp. seasoning salt
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley

Directions:

You can either purchase shredded chicken or make it yourself. I browned two chicken breasts in a little bit of olive oil, seasoning salt, and pepper on each side and then baked in the oven at 375 for about 20 minutes. I then shredded the meat with my fingers once it cooled down. Heat oil into a large skillet over medium heat. Saute zucchini, squash, and onions until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add chicken, beans, rice, smoked paprika, cumin, salt, pepper and parsley stirring to combine. Cook for 5 minutes or until hot. NOTE: I had another chicken breast left over, so I just put that on a salad the next day. This made approximately 4 servings.

 

Sauteed Baby Broccoli

Courtesy of Plated Perfection

I love broccoli, but I love baby broccoli even more! Trader Joe's had a great selection so I went ahead and cooked these up with my chicken cordon bleu. This was a super easy recipe and would go with all kinds of things. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Bunch of fresh baby broccoli (or broccolini)
1-2 tb low sodium soy sauce
2 tb low sodium chicken broth
1 tsp rice wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely minced
squeeze of lemon (if desired)
salt and pepper

Directions:
In a saute pan, heat 1 tb olive oil. Saute the garlic for a couple of minutes until softened. Throw in the broccoli, along with the soy sauce, chicken broth, vinegar, and salt and pepper. Saute for approximately 10 minutes (or to your desired tenderness). Finish off with a squeeze of lemon. Serve immediately.

Lightened Up Chicken Cordon Bleu

Courtesy of Plated Perfection

I've been trying to get somewhat creative lately and cook things I've never tried -- so that's where this came in. I love cordon bleu, but it's usually fried. We're trying to be healthy (at least during the week), so I decided to lighten up the original. I served this with some baby broccoli that looked super fresh and delicious at Trader Joe's.

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts skinless and boneless (I also got thin sliced to save time)
4 thin slices prosciutto di Parma 

3/4 cup Gruyere, grated

1/4 cup Pecorino, grated

6 thin slices of Fontina
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
2 eggs
Extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lay the chicken breast between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and pound the chicken to 1/4-inch thickness (or buy thin sliced chicken breasts). Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and lay 1 slice of prosciutto neatly over the top to cover the breast. Evenly sprinkle the gruyere and pecorino cheese over the prosciutto. Add a slice of fontina cheese to each chicken breast. Roll the chicken breasts up tight and set down, seam side down. Beat together the eggs and season with salt and pepper. Lay the bread crumbs in a separate dish. Dip the chicken in the egg mixture and gently coat in the bread crumbs. Lightly coat a baking pan with olive oil and carefully transfer the chicken breasts onto it (seam side down). Secure with tooth picks if need be (might want to soak them first so they do not burn). Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until browned and cooked through. 

Arlington Scramble (Filet Mignon Egg Scramble)

Courtesy of Plated Perfection

OK, so I named this myself, so I have no idea if there's an actual Arlington Scramble out there. If not, this is it :) It was the first Saturday morning we had no plans and had groceries on hand, so I whipped this up and it was extremely filling and tasty. It's a great way to use filet if you need to cook it as well. This recipe was enough for about 4 people. We stuffed ourselves! Enjoy :)

Ingredients:
2 filet mignon steaks, cut into inch cubes (I also trimmed the fat away)
1/2 orange bell pepper, diced
1/2 green pepper, diced
1/2 yellow onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
4 eggs
splash of skim milk
salt and pepper
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1-2 cups diced potatoes (depends on how many you want)
2 tb olive oil
1 tb butter
2 tb Worcestershire sauce

Directions:
In a big skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat and cook the garlic, onion, peppers, and potatoes for approximately 5-8 minutes, stirring often to not burn the garlic. The potatoes should be pretty tender. Move the potato mixture to one side of the pan. On the other side, throw in the steak. Cook the steak about 3-4 minutes (depending how cooked you prefer it). This will have it turn out about Medium.

While the steak is cooking, beat your eggs together with the milk and salt and pepper. Cook with 1 tb butter over medium heat until softly scrambled.

Stir the mixture together (steak and potatoes) and add the Worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper. Toss in the egg mixture and stir together for approximately 1 minute and serve.

Italian Pesto Bruschetta

Courtesy of Plated Perfection

We have started an Easter tradition at our place here in Arlington. We have a few folks over and I make beef tenderloin, au gratin potatoes, and some other goodies. This year, I decided to have an appetizer. I made a different variations of this and they were a big hit! They're also super easy...I highly recommend :) I apologize for not capturing any of the baked tomatoes in the photo -- they had already gotten eaten!

Ingredients:
French bread baguette, sliced approximately half inch thick
Pesto sauce
Prosciutto (I used about 5 slices)
Fresh mozzarella, sliced and then halved
Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced (some halved)
Olive oil

Directions:
Baked tomatoes: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with olive oil. Place a few sliced tomatoes on the baking sheet and top with mozzarella and pesto. Bake for approximately 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Baked bruschetta:  Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with olive oil. Place a few slices of bread on the baking sheet and top with pesto, mozzarella, prosciutto and tomato. Bake for approximately 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted. (I left the tomato off some of these).

Room Temp Bruschetta: On a platter, place a few slices of bread and top with pesto, mozzarella, prosciutto and tomato. (I left the tomato off some of these).

Foil Baked Sea Bass with Pesto

Adapted from Food & Wine

Sea bass is one of my favorite types of fish. It's expensive, but whenever it's on sale, I try to get some. I also had some leftover pesto sauce to use, so this worked great! The original recipe called for zucchini and carrots on top of the fish, but I didn't have any of that on hand. I ended up just serving this without and having a side of my grandmother's canned green beans, sauteed with some garlic and shallot. Yummy!

Ingredients:
2 sea bass fillets
dash of lemon pepper seasoning
1/2 lemon
dash of pepper
4 tb pesto sauce (approx. 2 tb/piece of fish)
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 tb olive oil

Directions
Heat the oven to 450°. Put two 12-inch squares of aluminum foil on a work surface and brush lightly with cooking oil. Put a fish fillet in the center of each square of foil. Sprinkle the fillets with salt and lemon pepper. Spread the fish with the pesto. Gather the foil around the fish and drizzle the fish with the oil and wine. Fold the edges of the foil to make a sealed package. Put the foil packages on a baking sheet. Bake the fish until just done, about 12 minutes. Open the foil packages and transfer the fillets with their vegetable topping to plates. Pour the juices over the top.

Mustard Roasted Fish

Courtesy of Ina Garten

This week was seafood week for us -- not intentionally, but I just ended up with a lot of good looking seafood from Teeter! I saw this recipe made on Barefoot Contessa and it caught my eye. It looked so delicious and I knew I had to try it! Ina never leads you down the wrong path :) This was very tasty. I will say that I only cooked two pieces of fish and had way too much sauce, so I would only prepare half of it if you have less than 3 pieces of fish. I just served this with my lemon pepper noodles I'm a bit obsessed with and asparagus (just mixed with some lemon, dill herb sauce)...it was a great combination. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

4 (8-ounce) red snapper fillets
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces creme fraiche
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
2 tablespoons minced shallots
2 teaspoons drained capers

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. (You can also use an ovenproof baking dish.) Place the fish fillets skin side down on the sheet pan. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Combine the creme fraiche, 2 mustards, shallots, capers, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Spoon the sauce evenly over the fish fillets, making sure the fish is completely covered. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish, until it's barely done. (The fish will flake easily at the thickest part when it's done.) Be sure not to overcook it! Serve hot or at room temperature with the sauce from the pan spooned over the top.