Pesto Bruschetta Chicken and French-Cut Green Beans

When I started on my natural / non-processed foods kick in September, this was the first meal I made. Everything is natural and as good as it can get, short of growing it all myself!

French-cut green beans are a favorite, simple side dish of mine; until recently, I've always gotten them from a can. Why not try to make these fresh, too?!



Pesto Bruschetta Chicken

For Pesto:
Ingredients

• 2 cups packed home-grown basil (or fresh as you can get)
• 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts, cooled
• 1 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese or romano cheese (either or both)
• 3 cloves crushed garlic
• 1/4-1/2 cup EVOO, depending on how creamy you want it (I used 1/4 cup)

Directions

1. Put into a food processor first 4 ingredients.
   
2. Pulse to blend.
3. Slowly add oil through feed tube to make a nice paste.
   
   

For Chicken:
Ingredients

• 1 lb all-natural or organic chicken breasts (boneless, skinless) - I cut them lengthwise for this
  
• 1/2 cup homemade basil pesto
• 2-3 plum tomatoes, sliced (optional)
• 1/2 cup freshly shredded skim mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Line baking sheet with foil.
3. Place chicken and pesto in medium bowl; toss to coat. [or spread the pesto on top of each piece like I did here]. Place chicken on prepared baking sheet.
   
   
   
4. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center.
5. Remove from oven; top with tomatoes (if desired) and cheese.
   
   
6. Bake for an additional 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

French-cut green beans:
Ingredients

• Fresh green beans from produce section (I used organic)
• Splash of extra-virgin olive oil
  
• Seasonings to taste (I use dried onion, minced garlic, black pepper, and a touch of salt)

Directions

1. Wash green beans.
2. If the beans are long, first cut them at an angle into lengths of about 2 inches.
3. Cut them in half lengthwise, running the knife down the flat part between the seams of the bean.
4. In small pan, heat oil; add beans and seasonings
5. Toss over medium heat until until desired softness.

Julia's Triple Chocolate Cheesecake

I'd never been in love with cheesecake (I only like cream cheese in moderation - I won't even put it on my bagels!), until one fateful trip to the Cheesecake Factory at the Inner Harbor in Baltimore when I was a teenager. I was with my family and before heading back to the hotel for the evening, we stopped in and grabbed some cheesecake to go. It was like an ice cream shop with a zillion different flavors - all of which sounded absolutely fabulous (well, everything except "plain cheesecake"). I ordered something chocolaty with Heath Bar topping.......and I was instantly in love.

Until then, I hadn't known that cheesecake wasn't "instant" (*cough cough* JELL-O brand No Bake), mixed up in 5 minutes and refrigerated. I obviously had a lot to learn.

A few years ago, my sister-in-law was having a birthday dinner and I asked what I could bring. She requested "something chocolaty" so I decided to attempt one of these crazy cheesecake things. And boy did it go over well!!! Since then, I've perfected the top layer (which was originally a too-thick ganache that we practically needed a blow torch to get through!), and so here is what I came up with:

Julia's Triple Chocolate Cheesecake

Ingredients
For Crust:

• 1-1/2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs (you can get Oreo crumbs in the baking aisle)
  
• 2 tbsp white sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, melted (I use Nature's Promise or Harris Teeter brand organic butter)

For Filling:

• 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips NOTE: I like to use Godiva or Ghiardelli chocolate - it really makes a difference.
  
• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened (I use Organic Valley brand)
  
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan.
2. To Make Crust: In a small bowl, mix together chocolate cookie crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Press onto the bottom and 1-1/2 inch up the sides of the prepared springform pan.
   
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Allow to cool. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.
4. To Make Filling: In a small saucepan, heat cream and chocolate chips, stirring constantly, until chips are melted. Remove from heat.
   
5. In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and 1 cup of sugar until smooth (I'm loving the Kitchen Aid stand mixer!).
   
6. Add cocoa and beat well. Add eggs and beat on low until just blended. Stir in vanilla and reserved chocolate mixture until blended.
   
7. Pour over crust.
   
   
8. Bake at 325 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until center is almost set (but still a little jiggly). Unfortunately I can't always avoid getting cheesecake cracks :( My only "perfect" one was the first one!
   
   

Ganache topping

Ingredients

• 1 cup chocolate of choice (I use dark, >60% cocoa. Again, get the good stuff)
  
• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Decorative topping of choice (I used swirled chocolate chips this time; I've used chocolate shavings and strawberries in the past)

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, heat whipping cream until just before boiling.
2. Stir constantly and be careful not to boil over.
3. Pour chocolate chips in the hot cream and stir with a spoon until smooth.
4. Spread over baked cheesecake and refrigerate overnight (or until ganache has hardened).
   BEFORE
   DURING
   
   AFTER
   
   

TIP: If using a decorative topping that needs to be pressed into the ganache (like the chocolate chips I used here), let ganache chill in fridge for an hour or two, until it starts to get firm. Then pull it out to decorate and return to fridge for remainder of chilling time.

I made this cheesecake in Feb 09 and topped it with chocolate sprinkles. I applied the ganache differently this time...first I chilled the cake w/out any topping. The next day I prepared the ganache and poured it over the cake *after* removing the springform pan sides. I allowed the ganache to drizzle down the sides and let it chill in the freezer for about 2 hours (then added the sprinkles and let it chill another hour or so in the freezer to get the ganache nice and firm).

Kung Pao Chicken with Sauteed Sugar Snap Peas

Okay - I've taken a LONG break from blogging, but I certainly haven't taken a break from cooking! I have months and months of food pics so now it's just a matter of getting all of those recipes typed out. So here I go:

Kung Pao Chicken


On those rare Friday nights when Bill and I are actually home (and when I'm not making pizza), we like to get take out from Pei Wei Asian Diner (the "fast food" version of PF Chang's). We tend to get the same meals every time, so I thought I'd challenge myself to recreate one of Bill's favorites - Kung Pao Chicken (modified from a recipe on recipezaar.com):

Ingredients

• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tsp light sesame oil (I used EVOO)
• 3 tbsp chopped green onions (including tops)
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1-1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (more or less, to taste)
• 1/2 tsp ginger powder
• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp soy sauce (I use low-sodium)
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1/3 cup dry roasted peanuts (I use lightly salted)

Directions

1. Combine chicken and cornstarch in small bowl; toss to coat.
2. Heat oil in large non-stick skillet or wok on medium heat.
3. Add chicken; stir fry 5-7 minutes or until no longer pink in center.
4. Remove from heat.
5. Add onions, garlic, red pepper, and ginger to skillet; stir fry 15 seconds.
6. Remove from heat.
7. Combine vinegar, soy sauce, and sugar in small bowl.
8. Stir well; add to skillet.
9. Return chicken to skillet.
10. Stir until chicken is well coated; add peanuts.
11. Heat thoroughly, stirring occasionally.

Serve over hot rice - I added a side of sauteed sugar snap peas (cooked quickly in EVOO with fresh garlic and black pepper, and a touch of Nature's Seasons seasoning salt).

Thai Chicken Pizza

I think Bill would be the happiest man alive if I made my Thai Chicken and Rice every day of the week. So I figured I'd try to find a few more Thai chicken meals to add to the mix.

We tried California Pizza Kitchen's Thai Chicken Pizza a couple years ago and really liked it, so I searched for a copycat recipe. This is the closest I could find...

Ingredients:

• 12-inch pre-baked pizza crust **I used an 8-inch**
• Sprinkle of garlic powder (this was my addition)
  
• 7-ounce jar Thai peanut sauce **I used "A Taste of Thai" peanut satay sauce - only about 4-5 ounces since I used a smaller crust**
  
• 1/4 cup peanut butter **I used reduced-fat Jif**
• 8 ounces cooked skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into strips **I used rotisserie chicken, shredded**
  
• 1 cup shredded Italian cheese blend
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped **I chopped up about 3 stalks, just the greens**
  
• 1/2 cup shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup fresh bean sprouts **I omitted these b/c I didn't have any**
  
• 1 tablespoon chopped roasted peanuts **I omitted these**
• A few splashes of "A Taste of Thai" Garlic Chili Pepper sauce (this was my addition)
• Dried cilantro, to taste (this was my addition)
  

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Place crust on baking sheet. Sprinkle with garlic powder.
   
3. In a small bowl, stir together the peanut sauce and peanut butter. Spread over the pizza crust. Sprinkle with Garlic Chili Pepper sauce.
4. Arrange strips (or shreds) of chicken on top.
5. Sprinkle on the green onions and cheese. I added some more Garlic Chili Pepper sauce here, too. [original recipe calls for carrots/peanuts/sprouts to be added after cooking, but I added my carrots before putting in the oven. I also sprinkled the top with cilantro].
6. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until cheese is melted and bubbly. Slice into wedges and serve.

Cheddar Scalloped Potatoes

So my first comment has to be that I do not know how to follow a recipe!! ;-)

I found this recipe on RecipeZaar.com. It calls for 1 cup of cheddar and then 1/2 cup grated Parm on top. Somehow, I read this as 2 cups of cheddar! So that's what I used and thought it felt a little thick when stirring, but I went with it.

Because of how much thicker the sauce turned out with the extra cheese, I poured a little more light cream on top and stirred it in with the sauce.........then after it had baked for about 40 minutes, I felt the sauce was still too thick - though quite tasty! - so I added another 1 cup of skim milk and mixed it up, then put it back in for the last 20 minutes.

The recipe below has the total amount of milk/cream added at the beginning, to correct my "mistake".

Also, I skipped the Parmesan topper because I wasn't necessarily going for ultra-cheesy potatoes.


So here is my inadvertently modified version of Scalloped Potatoes:

Ingredients:

• 4 cups thinly sliced potatoes (I used my Cuisinart food processor, which sliced the potatoes thin-ish, but I heard using a mandolin is better. Have to get me one of those!)
• 3 tablespoons margarine
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 3 cups milk (I used 1-3/4 cups skim milk and 1-1/4 cups light cream)
• 1 teaspoon Nature's Seasons seasoning salt
• 1 dash cayenne pepper
• 2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese (I used 1/2 cup sharp cheddar and 1-1/2 cups "taco blend" because it's what I had!)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a small sauce pan, melt butter and blend in flour.
3. Let sit for a minute.
4. Add cold milk/cream, stirring with a whisk.
   
5. Add seasoning salt and cayenne.
6. Cook sauce on medium until smooth and boiling, stirring occasionally with a whisk.
7. Reduce heat and stir in cheese.
8. Place a half of the sliced potatoes in a lightly greased casserole dish **I sprinkled with black pepper and some dried minced onion**.
9. Pour half of cheese sauce over potatoes.
10. Repeat with second layer of potatoes and cheese sauce.
11. Top with some paprika for color, if desired (I skipped this because of the seasonings in the taco blend cheese).
12. Bake uncovered for about 1 hour (or until potatoes are soft and sauce is bubbly and brown.

Bill thought this dish was paired very well with my Baked Garlic Parmesan Chicken (shown below)

Ten-Clove Garlic Chicken & Rice

When I pulled out the slow cooker last weekend, I wasn't really sure what was going to go into it. But you really can't go wrong with chicken and rice! Here is what I threw together (I cooked on high for about 4 hours, but you can cook on low for about 7 hours, as well).

I served this with a side of my Roasted Cajun Potatoes.

Ingredients:

• 3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (>1 lb), frozen or thawed
  
• 10 cloves garlic - I chopped 5 and left 5 whole, which I mashed after they had cooked (no real reason for this - I was just experimenting).
  
• 3 cups chicken broth (or water + bouillon)
  
• 1/2 cup white wine (I used a table wine - a favor from someone's wedding!)
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp Italian seasonings
• 1 tsp Nature's Seasons (or any season salt)
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• Other seasonings as desired
  
• 2 pouches Uncle Ben's rice, uncooked (I used a mix of long grain and roasted chicken). **any rice can be substituted - instant or the microwavable pouch.
  

Directions:

1. Put chicken breasts into your slow cooker. If frozen, put them in whole. If thawed, cut each piece into 3 chunks. Add white wine, chicken broth, and seasonings.
2. Because I put my chicken in frozen, I removed the chicken from the slow cooker after about 1-1/2 hours and cut each breast into 3 chunks - I also used the back of a spoon to mash all of the garlic cloves in the slow cooker - then returned the chicken to the liquid.
3. Cook on high for a total of 3-1/2 to 4 hours, until chicken is tender and pulls apart.
   
   
4. Add uncooked rice.
5. Continue to cook at least 10 minutes, or until rice is done and most of liquid is soaked up.

Roasted Cajun Potatoes

This recipe makes a great substitute for French fries or mashed potatoes.



This is a very spicy potato! Feel free to cut down on the paprika, cayenne pepper, onion, and garlic. We liked them this way though :)

(adapted from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:

• 4 large russet potatoes
• 3 tbsp olive oil (I used Gazebo Lite Greek Dressing)
  
• 1 tbsp minced onion
  
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3/4 tsp salt (I used Nature's Seasons)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tsp dried parsley

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Cut each potato lengthwise into eight wedges (cut each one in half, if desired). In a large bowl, combine the oil, onion, garlic, salt, paprika, cayenne and pepper; add potatoes and toss to coat well.
3. Pour out onto foil-lined baking sheet.
4. Bake, uncovered, for about 30 minutes or until tender and golden brown, turning every 10 minutes ***I added a few drizzles of olive oil half way through**. Sprinkle with parsley when done.

Chicken Noodle Soup!

Can't think of a better meal for the icy cold week we've had so far! Plus, I seem to cook like I'm feeding an army, so we'll have plenty of leftovers for Valentine's Day, since we're not doing our fancy dinner out until Friday :)



Feel free to scale this down!!

Ingredients:

• 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups boiled/shredded chicken (I am all about the grocery store rotiss chicken for this!)
• 1 cup chopped carrots (I cut baby carrots into thirds)
  
• 2 stalks chopped celery (I use my food chopper to mince it real tiny - I love the flavor but I'm not big on chunks of celery in my soup).
• 3 chicken bouillon cubes (love the seemingly unnecessary addition of flavor!)
• Seasonings to taste (I use garlic powder, minced dried onion, black pepper, and dried parsley flakes)
• 12 ounces egg noodles (we're on a thin noodle kick now, but the wide egg noodles are great too).

Directions:

1. Shred chicken into large stock pot and season. I let this brown for about 5 minutes on a medium heat, constantly stirring.
2. Add the chicken broth and bouillon, and stir up any chicken that browned to the bottom of the pot.
3. Add carrots and celery.
4. Boil on medium-high for about 25 minutes, until carrots are tender.
5. Noodles: you can do this one of two ways. (1) Add uncooked noodles directly to soup and allow to boil about 5 minutes, until noodles are done; or (2) Boil noodles in a separate pot of water, drain, and add to the soup once finished (I do this).