Parma Chicken & Vegetable Bake. This recipe for a chicken and vegetable bake is destined to become a tried and true recipe favourite!
We eat a lot of chicken in this house. That's because it is fairly
inexpensive . . . and, in all truth, we like it.
We don't eat a lot of
red meat actually, or processed meats . . . mostly just fish and
chicken (not together), and if it's chicken . . . it's usually chicken
breasts.
That can get old pretty quickly, unless you are prepared and
armed with a lot of different ideas on how to prepare it.
These days I tend to use free range organic, corn fed chicken. I can do this because there are only two of us. If I had a larger family I might have to reconsider my choice.
I like the flavour of the free-range organic corn-fed chicken. To me, it does taste better than regular chicken. Ordinary chicken has had the flavour bred right out of it in my opinion.
I think I could write a cook book based just cooking chicken breasts.
They are like a beautiful canvas just waiting to be painted on. You can
do soooo very much with them. They easily adapts to most
other flavors, and . . . as long as you don't over-cook them . . . they are
really quite delicious. Over-cooked chicken breasts are about as
palatable as eating an old boot . . . and probably just as tasty.
I think people are afraid of getting salmonella, and so they cook them to death. The only thing you need to be concerned with when cooking chicken, is that the juices run clear . . . as long as the juices run clear . . . your chicken is cooked.
Thighs and legs . . . they take to
longer cooking times, and in fact the longer you cook them, the more
succulent they are. Breasts however . . . you want to cook them at a
high temperature and fairly quickly.
Long and slow cooking just isn't
well suited to chicken breast meat . . . it dries it out and makes it
tough.
Today I wrapped them in some thinly sliced proscuitto. I then baked them in a hot oven with some potato wedges, celery and leeks . . . a splash of white wine, some cream . . . and lovely fresh herbs.
The proscuitto protected the chicken breast meat, and kept
it from over browning on the outside before they were cooked on the
inside . . . keeping them moist and succulent.
The potatoes got a nice brown crust, almost like roasted potatoes. And the leeks and celery almost melted into the cream and wine, creating
a luscious and flavorful sauce . . . especially with the added touch of
thyme and marjoram.
Just look at that moist chicken . . . and those deliciously tender
vegetables . . . why . . . they look almost good enough to eat!
*Parma Chicken and Vegetable Bake*
Serves 4
Serves 4
A delicious all in one pan recipe that will have them coming back for more. I often double this.
2 TBS olive oil
6 large baking potatoes
1 large leek, washed, trimmed, and most of the tough dark green leaves discarded
3 celery stalks, washed and trimmed
4 large free range boneless, skinless chicken breasts
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 to 8 thin slices of Proscuitto ham
a few sprigs each of fresh thyme and marjoram
a splash of white wine
240ml of double cream (1 cup, whipping cream)
Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7. Pour the olive oil into a large baking dish or roasting pan. Set aside.
Peel the potatoes and cut them into large wedges. Place them into a pot of lightly salted boiling water. Bring the water back to the boil and then boil them for about 3 minutes, no longer. While the potatoes are cooking bang the pan with the olive oil into the oven. Drain the potatoes well. Tip them into the hot oil in the baking dish and shake them to coat them with the oil. Put the pan in the oven while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
Carefully slit, clean and rinse the leek. Cut it into slices. Do the same to the celery. Season each chicken breast with some salt and black pepper and wrap each piece with some of the proscuitto. Remove the potatoes from the oven. Tip in the celery and leek, give it all a good stir. Season the vegetables lightly with some salt and black pepper. Sprinkle the sprigs of herbs over all. Tuck the chicken breasts in amongst the vegetables. Pour in a splash of white wine. You will only need about half a cup or so. Pour the cream around the chicken in the dish.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are meltingly tender.
Serve with some crusty bread and mashed swede on the side.
This tastes almost like a chicken and ham pot pie . . . except without the
crust. Aside from the cream, it was also fairy healthy . . . and quite
colorful too. A most delicious way to get in some of your five a day! I also loved that I was able to cook it all in one dish, which saved on the washing up. Delicious, easy peasy, and only one cooking dish to clean. You can't lose! Bon appetit!
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I think one of my favourite pasta dishes of all has to be macaroni and cheese. When I was growing up I cannot recall my mother ever making it from scratch. We did do the blue box stuff and we were quite happy with that.
In fact it was a real treat for us. And of course in my Uni years, I ate plenty of the blue boxed stuff also as it was cheap, cheap, cheap. You could buy 10 boxes for a dollar if I recall correctly! Sometimes we would stir some ketchup into it to make it taste better. UGH! College kids eh?
I don't think I had proper Macaroni and Cheese until I was married. I tried out a recipe in one of my BHG cookbooks and I thought it was quite nice.
Then one time my sister shared a recipe with me for a stove top mac and cheese and that was also very tasty. It was something we all loved.
I also used to make it like my friend Leona taught me, which was to cook macaroni (al Dente)and add chunks of cheese, salt and pepper and cover it with some milk and then buttered crumbs.
That was also really good, because you got large gooey chunks of cheese in it. The more cheese you put into it the better it was.
That was kind of like a Scalloped Mac and Cheese. No worries about calories and fat in those days and I was a skinny minny too!
I have been on a quest to lower the fat and carb content and increase the fibre content of my favourite mac and cheese without compromising on flavour.
I adore Cauliflower Cheese too . . . and I thought to myself, cauliflower is very low carb . . . why not combine macaroni and cauliflower. And if you use whole wheat pasta then you are also increasing the fibre.
Carbs are where we get our energy from, so they are not totally bad for you.
In using whole wheat pasta and then cutting down the amount by replacing some of it with cauliflower, I am using good carbs and increasing the protein and fibre in the dish in a good way.
The sauce uses low fat evaporated milk, instead of cream or full fat milk, which means that is is rich. The addition of some low fat cream cheese also adds to the richness.
A bit of Parmesan cheese, which really has a lot of flavour, means that you don't have to use as much cheddar as you normally would.
I also chose to use a strong low fat cheddar, which meant I was still getting plenty of flavour but less fat. This sauce was rich and well flavoured.
I always like to use some hot pepper sauce and dry mustard powder to give my cheese sauces more of a kick. And I also used onion and garlic powders for additional flavour.
I had some leftover ham and added some of that, but you don't need to if you don't have it. We did and it was an excellent way to use it up.
It also meant that my husband (the pasta hater) didn't feel as deprived as he normally would have done.
A final smattering of cheese on top and some sliced tomato, add colour and plenty of eye appeal. Altogether this made for a really tasty dish. Good news also, you can easily cut the recipe in half for fewer people.
I did that today and we each had plenty, with some leftovers for me to enjoy tomorrow, while I feed him something he likes that I can't eat. Everybody wins!
*Skinny Mac & Cheese*
Serves 6
Lower
in fat and calories, high in fibre and protein, but not compromised in
flavour in any way. This is, hands down, my new FAVOURITE mac and
cheese!
150g baked ham, cut into cubes (1 cup)
2 medium tomatoes sliced
Put a large pot of lightly salted water on to boil.
Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Lightly spray a
rectangular casserole dish with low fat cooking spray. Set aside.
Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Whisk in the flour, mustard powder, onion and garlic powders. Cook for about a minute. Slowly whisk in the evaporated milk. Cook whisking until it begins to thicken and bubble.
Whisk in the cream cheese, hot sauce and Parmesan cheese. Stir to melt
the cheeses. Add half of the cheddar and again stir to melt. Season
to taste with salt and black pepper. If you think the sauce is too
thick, you can thin it with a bit more milk as needed.
Cook the pasta in the boiling salted water according to the package directions, adding the cauliflower florets the last 3 minutes of cook time. Drain well. Stir into the cheese sauce, along with the ham. Pour the whole mixture into your prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining grated cheese over top. Place the tomato slices evenly over top and sprinkle them lightly with some salt and black pepper.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes until heated through, bubbling and golden brown. Let stand for five minutes before serving. A mixed green salad goes very well with this.
I served this with a green winter salad. It was just chopped romaine, rocket leaves, thawed baby peas, spring onions, cucumber and my favourite homemade dill vinaigrette. (1 TBS low fat mayo, 60 ml each olive oil and cider vinegar(1/4 cup each), salt, pepper, dry mustard powder, chopped dill and a pinch of sugar). This (to me) was a great meal. My husband didn't complain overly much, lol. Bon Appetit!
As anyone who has been reading this blog for a while knows, the Toddster
is really not very fond of pasta at all. I do make it from time to
time, but more often than not I make something completely different for
him, or he has the sauce, but on a potato instead. I adore pasta myself and cannot imagine anyone not loving it, but then again, I would never eat snails or frogs legs, but there are a lot of people who adore them. I guess we all have our own likes and dislikes, and its okay!
Today I cooked a simple spicy tomato cream sauce to have with some cappellini. I chose this for a number of reasons . . . one . . . I quite
simply adore simple tomato sauces, using tinned tomatoes. (I always
use a really good Italian brand myself, Ciro brand . . . especially when it's a sauce
that isn't going to be cooked for a long time period.) You want to use a tinned tomatoe that has a really nice flavour, and Cirio are the best tasting in my opinion. (You probably get tired of hearing me say that I know!)
Two, this is a really quick, QUICK sauce to make. It's done in
approximately the same time as it takes to cook your pasta, 10 minutes
tops.
*Cappellini with a Spicy Tomato-Cream Sauce*
Serves 4Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to the boil over high heat. While you are waiting for it to boil, heat the oil in a large deep saute pan. Add the garlic, pepper flakes and some salt. Cook, stirring, just until the garlic becomes very fragrant. Tip in the tomatoes and their juices. Bring to the boil, then reduce and simmer until fairly thickened, about 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the cream and heat through. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Keep warm. Add your cappellini to the boiling water, stirring to separae the strands, Cook according to the package directions. Drain well, reserving about a cup of the cooking water. Toss the drained pasta in the hot sauce, along with some of the cooking water and the parsley to combine. Top with some cheese and serve immediately, passing more cheese at the table.
Note - if you are watching the calories, you can use an equivalent amount of undiluted low fat evaporated milk in place of the cream. You can also cut the amount of olive oil in half with no problem.
I am one of those people who always has to have garlic bread with my pasta. I am not sure why that is, only that it is. I like to make my own. The ready made ones you buy in the shops just taste really foul to me. Yes, I AM a garlic bread snob.
Its such a simple thing really, making your own, and it tastes a bazillion times better! Mix together the butter, herbs,
seasoning and half the cheese and spread it on the cut edges of a loaf
you have cut in half horizontally. Then sprinkle on the remaining
cheese, cut almost all the way into 2 inch thick slices, wrap in foil
and bake. So yummy!
Its perfect for anytime really . . . with your pasta dinners,
or even as an appetiser while you and your family or guests wait for the
main course to be done. Oh, its even great with salads! And, simple
really. Such a simple thing to do.
*Herbed Garlic Cheese Bread*
Serves 8
125g of butter at room temperature (1/2 cup)
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
90g freshly grated Parmesan cheese (1/2 cup)
1 TBS finely chopped fresh basil
1/2 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme
1/4 tsp fresh oregano leaves
fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 large french loaf or sourdough loafPreheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Have ready an oven tray and two very large sheets of aluminiun foil.
Cream together the butter, garlic, 1/2 of the cheese and all the herbs, salt and pepper. Cut your loaf of bread with a serrated knife in half horizontally through the middle. Spread half of the butter mixture onto each half loaf. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Using the same knife make cuts two inches apart down through each half loaf about 3/4of the way down, leaving it attached at the bottom.
Cover with the aluminium foil, leaving a gap at the top so that the cheese mixture doesn't touch the foil. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, open up the foil and return to the oven for a further 5 minutes. Serve immediately.
Note - You can use dry herbs if you wish, just use roughly half of the amounts listed for each.
Pasta with a great sauce and crisp hot bread . . . this is heaven on earth to me. I dare say I am not alone in that! Bon Appetit!
We were feeling in a kind of a Mexicany mood the other day. I adore Tex Mex food and could eat it until it comes out my ears. I will tell you up front, I have never been to Mexico. The closest I have been is to a Mexican restaurant in Fredericton, New Brunswick called Mexicali Rosa's. Not sure if it is still in existance or not, but it was a place that my ex and I used to love to visit every now and then. There were chili pepper fairy lights hanging all over the place, Mexican music playing and every diner was treated to a basket of their homemade tortilla chips and fresh salsa to enjoy while they were perusing the menu and waiting for their meal, sometimes two if you were really eager!
The food was always excellent and we were always very happy with our meals. Other than that my only experience with eating out and Mexican food was Chi Chi's (a chain) in London, Ontario, and the local Taco Bell in Greenwood Nova Scotia, which I understand is no longer there. I did have plenty of experience through the years in trying to replicate my favourites at home via television programs and magasines. I am not sure any of it was entirely authentic or not, but I can tell you it was always delicious. I don't want any Mexican food purists knocking me or giving me grief. I do the best with what I have on hand, its as simple at that. IF it tastes good and even remotely similar to what it should, then that's good enough for me!
Mexican food here in the UK is something which is quite popuar, but the ingredients are very hard to find, making my food journey a bit of a challenge, but you can get some things in the shops. I always bring my own tex mex chili powder back with me when I go to Canada, and a really nice reader sent me some Pendery's a year or so ago that I have been REALLY enjoying!
Mexican food can be somewhat high in fat and calories however, especially since a lot of the Tex Mex stuff is fried, like chimichangas, tacos, etc. I am trying really hard to cut back on the fat and calories, and the carbs. ie, I am trying hard to eat healthier, but I still want to eat tasty.
I made us these Crispy Baked Sweet Potato, Corn & Bean Flautas the other day, which I adapted from a recipe I found on Peas and Crayons. I was really pleased with the results!! The filling was very simple to make and went together quickly. I had to adapt the recipe to what I had in the house. I didn't have any black beans (Or the horror, how did that happen!) so I used a tin of mixed beans, which had pinto, black, haricot, borlotti, etc. in the mix. They worked beautifully.
I also didn't have any corn tortillas, but I did have South American Kitchens Coconut and Black Pepper mini wheat tortillas, which happened to be six inch tortillas, which were the perfect size. I used salsa only for the filling and doubled up on the chili powder for a little extra heat.
Her method for baking them, filled up, rolled and secured with a toothpick, laid out on a rack over a baking tray, worked perfectly. Because my tortillas were wheat ones, they were soft enough to fill and roll without heating them. I also skipped the step of spraying the insides of the tortilla with cooking spray. I didn't think it was necessary.
I spritzed them only on the outside with some cooking spray and it worked perfectly. They turned out beautifully crisp and delicious! We loved them and they are something I WILL make again, maybe even soon because they are that good!
*Crispy Baked Sweet Potato, Corn & Bean Flautas*
Makes 8
To serve:
Salsa, low fat sour cream, salad leaves
Wash and prick the sweet potato all over with a
fork. Wrap it in paper kitchen towels and nuke in the microwave on high
for 5 to 6 minutes until cooked. (It should give easily when pressed
between your fingers once it is cooked.) Set aside to cool a bit.
Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7. Place a rack onto a baking tray. Set aside.
Toss
the beans, corn, onion, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, corinder
leaf, hot pepper sauce and salsa together in a bowl. Tear open the
sweet potato and scrape the flesh into the bowl. Mash all together
lightly. Lay out your tortillas. Spritz them all on one side with the
cooking spray and flip over. Spoon a line of the bean/corn mixture down
the centre of each. Sprinkle each with a portion of the cheese. Roll
up the tortillas to enclose, securing shut with toothpicks if need be.
Place slightly apart on the rack on the baking tray. Place into the
preheated oven and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until nicely crisped and
the cheese has melted.
Serve hot with your desired
accompaniments. I like to break them a bit open and spoon on a bit more
salsa, some sour cream and some salad leaves. I know, a bit
unconventional, but hey, it tastes great!
If you are a purist you might want to look away now. I enjoyed mine by tearing them open and tucking in some of those baby salad leaves (kale, rocket, spinach, chard) and then topping with a dollop of sour cream. Oh boy . . . those peppery leaves went really well with that gooey spicy filling. All in all these were a really delicious taste treat that was low in fat, high in fibre, and very health conscious! Provecho Amigos!
I know what you are probably thinking . . . Prunes??? In cookies? Stay with me here. I adore prunes, and often eat a couple of them out of hand each day. They are excellent in baked goods. Think Prune Cake for instance. They are filled with fibre and very good for you! And they are EXCELLENT in these good old fashioned drop cookies!
These are great cookies, very like the type of cookie that your Nan or Great Aunt might have baked eons ago. My Nan made lovely cookies. Big soft puffy Molasses Cookies were a real favourite, so were cousin Lydia's Junior Cookies which were very similar to these, with plenty of walnuts and sticky raisins and a bit of mixed spice.
The simple batter for these is composed of a mix of butter and cream cheese beaten together with soft light brown sugar. Nice and creamy. A large egg is beaten into that mix . . .
And then a mixture of self raising flour, salt and wheat germ . . . for a bit of goodness . . . and plenty of cinnamon. Two whole teaspoons! Yum!
After that you simply stir in some chopped pitted soft prunes and lovely toasted walnut pieces. I always toast my nuts before using. It makes them taste . . . nuttier . . .
There is no rolling, no fiddling about . . . just drop the batter in soft craggy dollops, spaced on couple of paper lined baking sheets and bake, until they are nicely puffed and golden brown.
I wish I could describe how very wonderful these smell when they are baking! Like your grandmother's lap and home sweet home . . . . your family will come running because there will be no doubt in their mind that something mighty tasty is afoot!!
They'll have to wait just a bit however . . . because there is still that cinnamon drizzle glaze to flick over the top of them, and you really want them to be cooled off somewhat when you do that. Oh boy, oh boy . . . these are the best cookies ever. I guarantee!
*Cinnamon, Prune & Toasted Walnut Cookies*
Makes about 20
2 TBS cream cheese
1 large free range, lightly beaten
Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Line two baking sheets with baking parchment. Set aside. (alternately butter two baking sheets)
Cream together the butter, sugar and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg. Stir in the flour, wheat bran, cinnamon and salt. You will have a soft sticky droppable dough. Stir in the prunes and walnuts.
Drop onto the prepared baking sheets, using a heaped dessertspoon, leaving several inches between the craggy heaps. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown and set. Let cool on the baking sheets for several minutes before scooping off onto wire trays to cool.
Whisk together the icing sugar, cinnamon and enough water to give you a thin drizzle consistency icing. Flick it over top of each cookie and leave to set before storing in an airtight container.
If you only bake one thing this weekend, let it be these delicious cookies! You can thank me later. 😙 They truly are all that and more!! Trust me on this. Bon Appetit!
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