Foodie Friday: Basil Cotija Stuffed Chicken with Honey Balsamic Glaze

Sometimes dinners just work, even when they’re a little different than what you had originally planned. I had a last-minute request last night to stuff “maybe stuff some herbs under the chicken skin” so into the fridge I went! I knew I had a nice, big bunch of fresh basil and right next to it happened to be some cotija cheese—one of Nathan’s favorites lately. Add a little garlic and we’ve got ourselves a delicious chicken. I told you, we eat a lot of chicken here!

This mixture is different from what we normally go for but it was nice to shake it up a bit. And it came out so well, I had to share it right away!

Basil Cotija Stuffed Chicken with Honey Balsamic Glaze

Serves 2

Ingredients
For the Chicken
– 2 chicken leg quarters [can sub bone-in, skin-on chicken breast or thighs]
– 1 bunch fresh basil; chopped & divided
– 5 cloves garlic; minced
– 1-2 oz cotija cheese; crumbled & divided
– Salt, pepper, & garlic powder
– 1 tbsp EVOO

For the Honey Balsamic Glaze
– 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
– 1 tbsp honey
– 1/2 tsp dried basil
– 1/2 tsp garlic powder
– Salt & pepper

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375°F and heat a large stainless steel skillet over medium heat. Combine the minced garlic with half of the fresh basil and half of the cotija cheese. Stuff this mixture under the skin of the chicken and season both sides of the chicken with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Once the pan is hot, drizzle in the EVOO and place the chicken skin side down. Let the chicken sit for about 10 minutes, or until it lifts up easily. Flip the chicken over and place the whole pan in the oven. The chicken will cook in the oven for about 20 minutes, but be sure to adjust cooking time if you swap the leg quarters for breasts or thighs.

While the chicken is in the oven, combine the ingredients for the glaze in a small pot over high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce to a simmer, allowing it to thicken up. When the chicken is fully cooked, remove from the oven and let it rest about 5 minutes. Plate it up with a drizzle of the honey balsamic glaze and a sprinkling of the leftover fresh basil and cotija. Serve with your favorite veggies [we had roasted carrots, tomatoes, and portobello caps] and enjoy!

Hope you have a great weekend, friends!  And don’t forget to head over to Laura’s blog to check out all of the other #strangebutgood creations.

Food for Thought

What’s your favorite cheese?
What’s your favorite way to flavor chicken?

What I Ate Wednesday #107: Herbes de Provence Roast Chicken {Recipe ReDux}

If you’ve followed my recent WIAW posts, you’ve probably noticed that I’m a creature of habit. Oatmeal with nut butters for breakfast? Daily. Salads for lunch? You can count on it. But dinner is where I like to have my fun. Plus, I have a husband to feed and he’s very much not a creature of habit when it comes to his food. That said, he does love his chicken! I thought this month’s recipe redux would be a good one for him.

You know they are lurking there: Way in the back of your spice drawer. There lie the herbs, spices, or rubs that are getting dusty because you’re afraid to use them… you simply don’t know what to do with them! Well, pull them out and show us a recipe you created to deliciously conquer that fearful spice. (Or maybe the recipe was a flop – and the spice still give you nightmares?!)

We bought some herbes de provence over a year ago for a lamb stew and it’s sat in the pantry since then. How could that be bad on a roast chicken?!

I’ll admit, I enlisted Nathan’s assistance for this one; roast chicken is mostly his domain around here. And it’s always fun to cook dinner together.

Herbes de Provence Roast Chicken with Apricot Orange Gastrique

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

For the Chicken:
– 5-6 lb chicken; butchered into quarters [can sub bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces]
– 2-3 tsp sea salt
– Herbes de Provence
– Garlic powder
– Black pepper
– Extra virgin olive oil

Hardware for the chicken:
– Cast iron skillet [stainless steel would work too]
– Another large, heavy pan

For the Apricot Orange Gastrique:
– 2 tbsp apricot preserves
– 4 dried, unsulphered apricots; minced
– 1 orange; zested and juiced
– 2 tbsp water
– 2 tbsp red wine vinegar

Directions

For the Chicken:
Place the chicken pieces on a cooling rack over a baking sheet. Pat dry with paper towels and sprinkle both sides with salt. Cover with foil and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.

When you’re ready to cook the chicken, preheat the oven to 425°F and heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken liberally with herbes de provence, garlic powder, and black pepper. When your pan is hot, coat with EVOO and place the chicken in the pan, skin side down. Place the extra pan on top of the chicken, pressing it into the pan. This will really give your chicken a delicious, crispy skin.

Let the chicken sit for about 15 minutes before flipping. The chicken should lift up easily but if the skin is sticking, give it another couple of minutes before trying to flip again. After the chicken is flipped place it in the oven to finish cooking—about 20-25 minutes.

While the chicken is in the oven, in a small pot, add all of the ingredients for the gastrique. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer; the sauce should thicken up nicely, but keep an eye to be sure it doesn’t get too thick.

When the chicken is cooked through, remove from the oven and let rest for about 5 minutes. Plate it up with your sides, drizzle the gastrique, and enjoy!

I served our chicken with smashed gouda potatoes and roasted brussels sprouts. It was the perfect Sunday dinner [with lots of leftovers for the week!]

Food for Thought

Which spice would you choose from your pantry?

Foodie Friday: Crispy, Crunchy Baked Chicken Tenders

It all started with a love for this quinoa crusted chicken strips recipe. I’ve said it before but Nathan is a huge fried chicken fan so anyway that I can find a healthier way to get him his fix [sort of..] is good in his book. I made these chicken strips once before and he loved them so he was more than happy to see them on the menu again this week. Well, all is well and good assuming you don’t forget to buy the right ingredients.. like quinoa.

I could have sworn I had a ton of quinoa in the pantry! I practically tore the place apart only to find that I used up the last of it. Ahhh yes, now I remember! Crap.

Well luckily for me, we did have a few ingredients I could use to substitute and make an equally crispity, crunchity [peanut-buttery? ;)] chicken tender. I whipped up the same BBQ honey mustard sauce, adjusted the breading ingredients, and went to town!

Crispy, Crunchy Baked Chicken Tenders

Adapted from Quinoa Crusted Chicken Strips
Serves 4

Ingredients
BBQ Honey Mustard
– 1/3 cup dijon mustard
– 1/4 cup honey
– 3 tbsp your favorite bbq sauce
– 1/2 lime; juiced

Chicken Tenders
– 1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast; sliced into tenders
– 1/2 cup low fat buttermilk
– 1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
– 1/2 cup steel cut oats
– 1/2 cup almond meal [can sub more panko or another flour]
– 1 tsp salt
– 1 tsp black pepper
– 1 tsp garlic powder

Directions
Preheat oven to 450°F. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil and a cooling rack, sprayed with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients for the BBQ honey mustard.

In another medium bowl, combine the buttermilk and 1/4 cup BBQ honey mustard. In a large bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients. Add the chicken to the buttermilk mix, shake off excess liquid, and dredge in the panko mixture. Lay the pieces flat on the cooling rack and lightly spray the chicken.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, flip the chicken tenders, and spray the other side. Bake for another 8-10 minutes, then broil for 2-4 minutes. Remove from the oven and drizzle with more BBQ honey mustard and devour!

Nutritional Information
For 1/4 recipe of chicken without extra sauce

200 Calories / 6g Fat / 13g Carbs / 1g Fiber / 0g Sugar / 18g Protein

This will definitely be a recipe I’ll be creating again in the future. Love when the substitutions work out! And if you’re ever looking to shake it up in the kitchen, I couldn’t recommend Half Baked Harvest more. Tieghan’s recipes are amazing and never fail to impress!

Food for Thought

What’s your go-to blog for recipes?
Any fun plans for the weekend?

Foodie Friday: Spaghetti Squash Casserole

Happy Friday! Have you entered my LÄRABAR giveaway yet?

A few months ago, I was introduced to this Paleo Spaghetti Squash Casserole recipe from Alysia at Slim Sanity. Immediately I thought it looked great, but I never expected to make it for dinner unless it was just for me. Nathan isn’t much of a squash fan. Or a casserole fan. So there’s that..

When I started meal planning, I brought it up to him in hopes that he’d agree to try it and what do you know, he went for it! With the awesome selection of ground meats made in-house available to us at Berkeley Bowl, my only request to him was to pick out the kind he wanted to use to make sure he’d like it [kind of like getting your kids to help.. sorry Nath ;)]. The first time we made it, we used 1/4 lb chorizo with 3/4 lb ground turkey and it turned out great! Except we made a few adjustments that I didn’t write down. So this time I made sure to write it all down and share my [un-paleoed] version of the casserole.

Un-Paleoed Spaghetti Squash Casserole

Makes 12 servings
Adapted from Slim Sanity

Ingredients
– 1 medium spaghetti squash; roasted
– 1 28oz. can San Marzano tomatoes; diced & juice reserved
– 1/2 lb ground turkey Italian
– 1/2 lb ground pork Italian
– 1 red onion; diced
– 1 red bell pepper; diced
– 4 cloves garlic; minced
– 1 cup packed spinach
– 1/4 tsp dried oregano
– 1/4 tsp dried basil
– Salt & pepper to taste
– 2 eggs; beaten
– 1 – 1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar; grated
– 2 tbsp EVOO; divided

Directions
Preheat oven to 400°F. Slice spaghetti squash in half, season with 1 tbsp olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast face down on a baking tray for 30-45 minutes, until the squash shreds easily. Shred the whole squash and set aside.

While the squash is baking, place a small pot over high heat and pour in the juice from the San Marzanos. Bring to a boil, reduce to medium heat, and allow the the tomato juice to reduce down to half.

Place a large skillet over medium heat, add 1 tbsp olive oil, and brown the meat. While the meat is browning, prep the onion, bell pepper, and garlic. When the meat is browned, use a slotted spoon to remove it from the pan and toss the onion and bell pepper into the pan. When the onions become translucent, add the diced tomato, spinach, garlic, and seasonings. Slowly start to incorporate the shredded spaghetti squash and reduced tomato juice until everything is mixed well in the pan. Taste test now for salt and pepper before you add the eggs! Finally, add in the 2 eggs and mix well.

Pour everything into a greased 9×11 pan and place in the oven. Baked uncovered for 40-45 minutes until everything has set. Remove from the oven, add the shredded cheese on top, and place under the broiler 5-10 minutes until well browned. Be sure to watch closely because the cheese can brown quickly!

Remove the casserole from the oven and allow to rest about 15 minutes until it has fully set. Slice into 12 equal squares and dig in! Because we used Italian sausage [pork and turkey], this was almost like lasagna. It was really good and definitely tastes more decadent than the numbers prove it to be!

Nutritional Information
Per square

230 Calories / 14g Fat / 11g Carbs / 2g Fiber / 5g Sugar / 15g Protein

Food for Thought

What is your favorite casserole recipe?

Link Love #18: My Top 5

Happy New Years Eve!! Wow, I can’t believe the year is over.. it seems like it just began. It’s time to wrap this baby up and look forward to creating new goals [and achieving them!], new experiences, and new memories. I usually use my link love posts to share some of my favorite posts from the blogosphere, but in the spirit of wrapping up this year, I thought I’d share my top 5 most popular posts and my top 5 favorites from this past year.

Most Popular

5. What I Ate Wednesday #4 – 5 Day Slim Down Edition!

That’s a tasty pineapple protein pancake!

I most certainly have some Tone It Up ladies to thank for this being up there in numbers! People seriously want to know about that slim down. It’s no joke.. you need to be really dedicated and if you are, it really works!

4. Spaghetti Squash Kugel

Definitely making this again soon!

Between Passover and all of the Paleo and low carb diets, it’s no wonder this recipe was a hit! And have you ever had kugel? YUM! Give me my kitchen!

3. Recipe Remix: Carrot Cake Protein Pancakes

Ooh baby! I almost forgot about these.

I love my sweet breakfasts and anyway I can sneak a little veggie in there makes it that much more perfect.

2. Foodie Friday: Peanut Butter Wonderful Powerballs

Everything is better with peanut butter!

My first attempt at protein bites and they were a delicious success! I definitely recommend this recipe.

1. Minty Irish Powerballs

The perfect mix of chocolatey, nutty, and minty!

How do you make a protein bite better? Use your homemade nut butter 😉

My Top 5 Recipe Posts

Eggy Quinoa Stuffed Squash
Coconut Flour Pancake Variations
Homemade Cashew Butter
Buddha’s Feast
Chipotle Lime Sweet Potato Tofu Burgers

My Top 5 Life Posts

Hitched
Dealing With Doubt
I’m grateful for…
The “S” Word
Baltimore Bucket List and Big News!

My Top 5 What I Ate Wednesday Posts

#44: Wine in Italy
Quick Honeymoon Update
#45: The Wedding Food
#59: Ten Years Gone
#64: The First Weekend

Food for Thought

Do you have an all-time favorite post from this past year?
Any big plans for NYE?

Foodie Friday: Lemon Tarragon Chicken

A couple months ago, I shared a special bridal shower edition of WIAW. My aunts put together a wonderful shower and a delicious and healthy menu. Of course, I immediately requested the recipes for the dishes and couldn’t wait to get started making them. One recipe in particular—the tarragon chicken salad—was requested by Nathan so I figured that would be a good place to start.

I made minor adjustments to the recipe based upon what I had in the house and it turned out perfectly. It was a great dish to make on Sunday and have as snacks or on top of salads for the week. I had planned on making it again seeing as how we ended up with so much extra tarragon, but instead, I decided to make a full dinner out of it!

Lemon Tarragon Chicken

Serves 2

Ingredients
– 1lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
– Salt
– Pepper
– Garlic powder
– EVOO
– 1/4 cup plain Chobani
– 1 tbsp dijon mustard
– 1 lemon; zested and juiced [set aside some zest for the end!]
– 3 sprigs fresh tarragon; chopped
– 1/4 cup sliced almonds; toasted

Directions
Heat a grill pan over medium heat. Season chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and a little lemon juice. Drizzle some EVOO onto the pan and place the chicken in. The chicken should cook about 7-9 minutes per side, depending on how thick the pieces are. Once the first side lifts off the pan without effort and has nice grill marks, flip it over, turn the pan down to medium low, and cover with aluminum foil. This will help it to cook through without burning the outside.

While the chicken is cooking, mix up the Chobani, mustard, lemon juice, most of the lemon zest, chopped tarragon, and salt and pepper to taste. When the chicken is done, plate with your favorite sides, drizzle [or dollop] the yogurt sauce on top, and toss on some toasted almonds. Enjoy!

I served my chicken with grilled asparagus and a grilled portabella cap. The mushroom cap made the whole dish extra filling, so I highly recommend that!

Chicken Salad
If you want to try this recipe out as chicken salad, you can use chicken that has already been cooked, or prepare it as above. The dressing is exactly the same but I would adjust the amount based on the amount of chicken you are using.

Nutritional Information

Per serving

210 Calories  /  9g Fat  /  6g Carbs  /  2g Sugar  /  0g Fiber  /  29g Protein

Food for Thought

Are you a salad person or do you prefer a hot meal?

Foodie Friday: Cajun Chicken Pasta

Have you entered my Mara’s Pasta giveaway yet?

When I was a kid, I was a HUGE pasta junkie! My family always knew that if we were doing big dinners, as long as there was a big bowl of buttered noodles on the table, I was good to go. I ate other things, but pasta was go-to. I definitely went back in time a bit on the honeymoon; once I tasted the fresh, homemade pasta in Italy, it was all I wanted! Maybe that’s a lie.. I wanted lots of gelato and wine too. But I digress..

As I mentioned the other day, a few weeks ago, I received a package from Mara’s Pasta. I was excited to make a fresh, summery pasta dish with my new treats. I also knew that whatever I was making, I wanted it to be an quick and easy dish that I could make after work. Enter the dish below. Having leftover grilled corn on the cob and using canned tomatoes helped pull this dish together in a jiffy! And don’t forget the splash of red wine. As Nathan says, you should never miss the opportunity to add alcohol to your food. 😉

Cajun Chicken Pasta

Serves 4

Ingredients
– 1 16oz box Mara’s Fettuccine
– 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
– Cajun seasoning [I used McCormick]
– 1/2 red onion; sliced
– 2 grilled ears of corn; cut off the cob
– 1 14.5 oz can fire roasted tomatoes [I used Hunt’s]
– 2 cloves garlic; minced
– Splash of red wine
– EVOO
– Grated parmesan cheese

Directions
Cook your pasta according to the directions on the box, removing from the water 1-2 minutes before completely cooked. It will be going back into the pot, so you want to make sure it still has a nice bite to it.

While the pasta is cooking, bring a grill pan up to heat. Season your chicken with cajun seasoning, drizzle some EVOO on the pan, and cook the chicken about 8-10 minutes per side until completely cooked through.

After the pasta is cooked and while the chicken is cooking, return the pot to the stove at medium heat. Add a drizzle of EVOO to the pot where you cooked your pasta. Add the onion and saute until translucent. Add the corn and garlic into the pot and saute until the garlic becomes fragrant. Finally, add in the tomatoes with liquid and splash of red wine. Cook for an additional 8-10 minutes until the sauce thickens.

Turn the heat down to low and toss the pasta back in with the sauce. Let cook for another 2-3 minutes until the sauce is fully coating the pasta. Cut the chicken into thin slices, add some pasta to a bowl, and top with the sliced chicken and a sprinkling of parmesan cheese.

Food for Thought

What was your favorite food as a kid?

Pin It Party

It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Pinterest. I mean, really, I must have said it about 100 times on here! When I saw that Lindsay was having a Pin It Party, I knew I had to jump in.. although choosing just 5 recipes was not easy. I definitely play favorites!

Savory

Buddha’s Feast with Spicy Thai Peanut Sauce*

Grilled Chicken Cemitas & Garlic-Chipotle Love

Chipotle Lime Sweet Potato Tofu Burgers

Sweet

Maple Cinnamon Walnut Butter

Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bark

Can I throw another one in? I shouldn’t but I can’t help myself..

Peanut Butter Wonderful Powerballs

Don’t forget to check out all of Lindsay’s awesome posts to pin! What are you waiting for? Start pinning!!

Food for Thought

What is your most favorite recipe you’ve pinned?

Foodie Friday: Turkey Quinoa Burgers

It’s been a tough week and I know many people are asking about ways to help those affected by the events in Boston. So first and foremost, I wanted to provide a few links to ways that you can help.

• Boston Marathon Explosions: How You Can Help
• Boston Marathon Help
• Run for Boston 5K

If there are any other links or ways to help that you may know of, please feel free to share!

In the meantime, I wanted to also share with you a recipe that I whipped up when I realized I had a ton of quinoa to use up. And I really wanted to use our new grill pan..

Turkey Quinoa Burgers

Makes 8 burgers

Ingredients
– 1¼ lbs 99% extra lean ground turkey- 1¼ cups quinoa; cooked
– ¼ cup rolled oats
– 4 stalks green onion; chopped
– 3 cloves garlic; minced
– 1 tsp fresh ginger; minced
– 1 tbsp chili garlic sauce
– 1 tbsp srirachi
– 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
– 1 tsp tahini
– 1 tbsp lite soy sauce
– 1 lime; juiced
– 1 tbsp sesame seeds
– 1 egg

Directions
In a large bowl, mix all ingredients until well combined. Shape 8 patties, place on a greased plate or sheet pan and refrigerate for 1-2 hours. This will help them hold their shape while cooking.

Preheat a grill pan over medium heat and remove patties from the fridge. Lightly coat the pan with olive oil and place burgers in the pan. Cook on one side about 5 minutes and flip. The burgers should have nice, dark grill lines on them. Cook on the other side for another 3-5 minutes until fully cooked through.

Remove from pan and let rest a minute. Serve as you wish! I love putting a burger on top of my salads with avocado.

Nutritional Stats
Per burger

167 Calories  /  5g Fat  /  10g Carbs  /  1g Sugar  /  1g Fiber  /  19g Protein

Food for Thought

What is your favorite burger and condiments?