roasted greek chicken

whole chickens were on sale this week at harris teeter so i picked one up and decided to go greek with it. the flavors worked great together - the zing from the lemon paired nicely with the savory herb rub i made. the only downside to this meal is that it takes awhile to cook - i would save this for a weekend dinner.

ingredients:
3.5-4lb whole chicken
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 lemon, cut in half
1/2 yellow onion, quartered
6 garlic cloves
parsley
evoo
s&p

directions:
preheat oven to 425 degrees. in a small bowl mix together dried oregano, dried thyme and garlic powder.

remove the chicken giblets and rinse the chicken inside and out. remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry. liberally salt and pepper the inside and outside of the chicken. squeeze half of lemon juice on the outside of the bird and the other half on the inside of the cavity.

drizzle evoo over outside of chicken. using your hands rub herb mixture over entire bird, getting under the skin too. stuff the cavity with a bunch of parsley, onion quarters, both halves of lemon, and all the garlic cloves. tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken.

place chicken on a roasting tray in a tinfoil lined baking dish. roast about 1 1/2 hours or until juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. **warning i took mine out of the oven after cooking for 60 minutes and it was still raw so be careful.**

remove from oven and let chicken rest for about 10 minutes before carving. serve with your favorite greek side dish - i did greek orzo salad.

top taco - best shredded beef taco ever.

picture via gimmesomeoven.com
i forgot to take one myself, but this is pretty close to what they looked like.

last weekend, my roommates and i hosted "top taco".  we got together with a group of our guys friends that live together to stage the ultimate cooking showdown with a mexican fiesta. the rules were simple - each team had to cook three dishes - queso, guacamole and tacos - and each round would be judged individually.  the boys ended up with the winning queso and the girls with the winning guacamole. that meant it was up to the taco round to decide our fate. inspiration came after my visit to salt lake city last month. we had stopped by a diners, drive-ins and dives favorite - red iguana - where we sampled a little taste of heaven in their shredded beef tacos. i tried googling to find the recipe but came up with no luck. i even called red iguana and asked for the recipe where a little mexican man simply laughed on the other end. so i ended up watching the ddd segment on youtube and wrote down all the spices they used to marinate their meat and came up with my own recipe.  the meat turned out absolutely delicious - it was moist, juicy, packed with tons of mexican flavor and just a little bit spicy. in the end, we won the taco round and became the champions of top taco!

ingredients:
2 tablespoons cumin
2 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper
4 lbs boneless chuck roast
3 bay leaves
28 oz can of tomatoes
2 cups low sodium beef stock
3 chipotles in adobo sauce
1 large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
toppings: flour tortillas, monterrey jack cheese, sour cream

directions:
in a small bowl, combine cumin, chili powder, oregano, thyme, paprika, marjoram, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. trim fat from beef. using your hands, rub spice mix over all sides of meat and set aside. meanwhile, add can of tomatoes, bay leaves, onion, garlic, chipotles in adobo, more salt, and beef stock to slow cooker. add beef to slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours.

remove the beef from the slow cooker and shred with two forks. add back to slow cooker and keep on warm until ready to serve.

to assemble, heat small skillet with a little evoo. take a flour tortilla and smother it with sour cream. add a good about of cheese and beef (make sure to get some of the juices that the beef was cooking in). fold in half and sear for 1 minute on each side in the skillet until tortilla is a little bit crispy. eat it up immediately before someone else does. repeat for the rest of the tacos.

feel free to use your own favorite mexican toppings - we just went with something traditional!

seared sea scallops with citrus fennel salad

ingredients:
4 radishes, thinly sliced
½ fennel bulb, thinly sliced
1 jalapeno, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon cilantro, minced
¼ cup grapefruit segments, cut into mini pieces
¼ cup orange segements, cut into mini pieces
¼ cup fresh orange juice
1 shallot
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
8 large scallops
2 teaspoons olive oil
s&p

directions:
in a blender, mix together orange juice, shallot, white wine vinegar, canola oil, dijon mustard and salt and pepper. combine radishes, fennel slices, jalapeno, cilantro, grapefruit and orange segments in a small bowl.  mix together with salad dressing. meanwhile, heat a small skillet with olive oil.  season scallops with salt and pepper.  sear in skillet about 2-3 minutes per side, until scallops are browned on each side. to assemble, place a half of fennel salad mixture on plate.  top with 4 scallops and drizzle with more dressing.

shrimp with curry coconut milk sauce

this is the second part of the dinner i made for my family over the weekend. it's another 30-minute seafood dish that i had while volunteering at CulinAerie.  when i first saw this on the menu, i was disappointed because i absolutely hate the smell of curry. something about it makes me want to gag every time. i was pleasantly surprised that red curry paste does not smell or taste like that yellow curry powder stuff. when making this, don't forget to add the lime juice - it helps to cut the fatty/creaminess of the coconut milk.  

note: this recipe serves 2.

ingredients:
1/2 lb jumbo shrimp
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon red curry paste
juice of one lime
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1/2 onion, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup baby bok choy, sliced thinly
cilantro, to garnish
cooked rice, as a side
evoo
s&p

directions:
heat evoo in large saucepan over medium heat. saute onion, ginger, bok choy and garlic about 3-4 minutes, just until soft. stir in coconut milk, water, red curry paste and s&p. bring to a simmer, reduce heat and cook uncovered for 5 minutes. stir in shrimp and increase heat to medium-high. cook and stir until shrimp is cooked through, about 5 minutes. add juice of lime at the last minute. serve over a bed of rice with a garnish of cilantro.

asian steak fajitas

i know it seems a little silly to be posting another fajitas recipe, but this one was different. this was a fusion between asian and meixcan flavors. let me explain.

denise (meagan's mom) had us over for dinner on monday night. she made grilled asian flank steak and her signature hashbrown casserole (seriously you guys must make this asap.) she sent us home with leftover steak to eat up this week. meagan and i were craving something mexican so we decided to make fajitas. i sauteed up some sweet bell peppers and onion, re-heated the beef and topped it off with our favorite extras - sour cream, monterrey jack cheese and pre-made guacamole salsa from wholly guacamole.

i was a little skeptical at first to be mixing the two cultural flavors, but it actually turned out pretty delicious. the sweetness from the asian marinade paired nicely with the creaminess of the guacamole salsa and sauteed onions and peppers. below is the recipe for the steak marinade. it's best to let it sit over night to get the maximum flavors.

ingredients:
1/3 cup canola oil

2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup diced scallions
s&p
2 pounds flank steak

directions:

combine the marinade ingredients together in a plastic resealable bag with steak. coat well with the marinade and chill/marinate for at least 2 hours and up to overnight. preheat the grill (indoor or outdoor) with high heat. take the steak out of the marinade bag and sprinkle generously on all sides with coarse s&p. grill about 5-10 minutes on each side, depending how rare/cooked you like it. meanwhile, make another batch of marinade. cook on stove over low heat while meat is cooking. 

remove steak from grill, cover with aluminum foil and let rest for at least 20 minutes. make very thin slices, against the grain, and at a slight diagonal so that the slices are wide. serve with reserved marinade.

a glamourous meal made by the ultimate glamour girl

it only seems fitting that raelynn surprised us roomies with a meal that she found while reading glamour. rae is an absolute girly girl who still gets kicks out of curling her eyelashes every morning.


the magazine featured an entire meal made by one of my favorites, ina garten. it was simple, fresh and light. with lots of vibrant herbs and a zing of lemon juice, this is the perfect entertaining menu for any type of cook. click on the links below to get the recipes.


roasted salmon with green herbs
french string bean salad
couscous with roasted pine nuts

sizzling chicken fajitas

as i said yesterday, this week's meals are simple, but tasty. i used a bottled fajita marinade to flavor the chicken. the brand i used is called world harbors and you can get it at about any grocery store in the salad dressing/sauce aisle. i served the fajitas with homemade reduced fat guacamole that was made with peas. get the recipe here.

ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3/4 cup premade fajitas marinade
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 yellow onion, cut into thin slices
favorite fajita toppings - cheese, sour cream, black bean dip, refried beans, lettuce
flour tortillas
s&p
evoo

directions:
cut chicken breasts into thin strips and marinate in fajita sauce for up to an hour. keep in fridge. heat skillet over medium high heat with evoo. add bell pepper and onions, cooking until onions have softened - about 5 to 7 minutes. remove veggies from pan, add more evoo and cook chicken about 5 minutes. season with s&p. meanwhile, wrap tortillas in tinfoil and keep warm in 350 degree oven. the next step is easy - take a warm tortilla, add your favorite condiments, top with chicken, fold it up and dig in. don't know how to fold up a burrito (ahemmmm ton)? here's a quick demonstration.

grilled buffalo chicken salad

for some reason, i have really been craving buffalo chicken bites. no matter how hard i try, i always seem to give into my food cravings. this time was no different, except i made a much healthier version of the real thing. i served it with a homemade buttermilk ranch dressing that i found on annie's eats. we didn't have buttermilk at home, so i improvised and made my own. just combine 1 cup of skim milk with 1 3/4 teaspoons cream of tarter. you'll get the same rich, tangyiness!


ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup hot sauce
1/4 cup butter, i used brummel and brown (it's yogurt based and has half the calories of real butter)
2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
your favorite lettuce, chopped
celery, diced
cherry tomatoes, cut in half
monterrey jack cheese, cubed
homemade ranch dressing
s&p
evoo

directions:
heat grill pan over medium high heat. season chicken breasts with evoo and s&p. grill on each side about 5 to 7 minutes. remove from pan and cut into strips. in a small sauce pan melt butter with hot sauce, worcestershire, garlic powder and s&p. mix chicken strips with hot sauce mixture, making sure every piece is coated. to serve, place a bunch of lettuce on place. add toppings (celery, tomatoes and cheese) and chicken. drizzle with homemade ranch dressing. it's that easy. i'll never miss fried chicken again...i hope.

spicy vodka pasta with sausage, spinach and sundried tomatoes

i wish i could take credit for this wonderful delight, but i can't. denise (meagan's mom) makes this on the regular for her family and passed along the recipe. its crazy simple and tastes even better. i used flavored sausage from costco (smoked mozzarella, garlic and artichoke to be exact) but feel free to substitute any kind you like - chicken, turkey, reduced fat, regular.

ingredients:
1 lb whole wheat pasta - any shape you like
1 pound sausage links
1 bag fresh spinach
25 oz jar of arrabiata pasta sauce (it's spicy!)
15 oz jar of sundried tomato alfredo sauce
2 shallots, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons dried italian seasonings
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes, sliced into strips
red pepper flakes, to your liking
freshly grated parmesan
fresh basil for garnish
evoo
s&p

directions:
add evoo to large skillet. brown sausages about 4 minutes per side, until fully heated through. (i bought the kind that were already cooked, so i just needed to re-heat them. if you buy the ones haven't been cooked previously, add more cooking time.) in a large sauce pan, add evoo, garlic and shallots. cook for about 3 to 4 minutes. add both jars of pasta sauce, dried italian seasonings, red pepper flakes (if you want it more spicy) and s&p. keep heated over medium low heat. once sausages are done, chop into 1/4 inch slices and add to pasta sauce. next add sundried tomatoes and spinach and let it wilt into the sauce. season with more s&p if needed. meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil. add tablespoon of salt and cook pasta according to directions. to serve, put generous heaping of noodles on plate and top with pasta sauce. garnish with freshly grated parmesan and fresh basil. serve with warm toasty garlic bread and you have yourself a fantastic meal.

side note: meagan added sauteed mushrooms to her pasta sauce - but i don't dig on the shrooms so i left them out.

burgers for book club

obviously this isn't my photo - the pictures i took didn't turn out as i had hoped.

(photo credit - womansday.com)

last night, megg and i hosted book club at our house to celebrate finishing the third book in the millennium trilogy - the girl who kicked the hornets nest.  (if you haven't read these books yet, go do it now.) the books are set in sweden and talk a lot about coffee, pickled herring, and frozen pizzas. in the past, when we met to discuss the first and second books, we tried to make food that went along with the theme of the book. this time we opted for a different scenario - summer sliders. i made three different kinds of mini burgers to suit everyone's tastes:

1. greek style burgers with feta aioli
2. turkey burgers with bacon and cheddar
3. bbq chicken burgers with coleslaw

the recipes for each of these was pretty simple. you can click on the link above for the greek burger recipe from cooking light. i followed the recipe exactly except i didn't add the roasted red peppers.  here's what to do for the other two:

turkey burgers with bacon and cheddar:
in a small skillet, brown about 6 slices of turkey bacon with evoo (or else it will stick) until it's really crispy. combine cooked bacon with 1 pound of ground turkey, 3-4 tablespoons worcestershire sauce, a dash of garlic and onion powder and s&p. form into mini burgers (should get between 8 and 10) and grill for about 2-3 minutes per side. top with slice of cheddar cheese and serve on mini bun with light mayo.

bbq chicken burgers with coleslaw:
season 3 chicken breasts with s&p and spread your favorite bbq sauce all over it. grill for about 5-7 minutes per side. before taking off the grill, top chicken with monterrey jack cheese and let it melt. cut each chicken breast into thirds, top with prepared coleslaw and serve on a mini bun. if you want - you can add more bbq sauce to the chicken once it's done cooking, but i slathered it enough before i cooked it.

everyone had their own personal favorites, but i really enjoyed the greek sliders.

grilled chicken and peach salad

this is one of those go-to summer salads when you're craving something light for dinner. there is no real recipe for this - i just used ingredients i thought would go well together. you can substitute any kind of fruit you like for the peaches - apricots, plums, nectarines, or tangerines. i personally loved the warm grilled peaches because they paired perfectly with the cool tangy goat cheese crumbles.

ingredients:
chicken breast, sliced into strips
2 peaches
goat cheese crumbles
dried cranberries
candied almonds
spinach
balsamic vinaigrette

directions:
preheat grill pan over medium high heat with evoo. season chicken strips with garlic powder and s&p. cook for about 3-4 minutes per side. remove chicken from pan and let rest. coat pan with pam and grill peaches about 4 minutes per side until they have nice grill marks. to make salad, start with a layer of spinach leaves on a plate.  top with chicken, peaches, goat cheese crumbles, dried cranberries and candied almonds. drizzle with balsamic vinaigrette to finish.

birthday dinner part 1: mustard crusted filet mignon

i made this recipe as part of rae's birthday dinner. to make if even more special, i wrapped the filet mignon in bacon. ooooo bacon. i whipped up a quick herb mustard compote to spread on top and grilled it - that simple. here's how to do it.

ingredients:

4 filet mignon steaks, between 4-6 oz each

4 slices of bacon

1 tablespoon horseradish mustard

1 teaspoons dried parsley

1 teaspoons dried thyme

2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 cup low sodium beef stock 

1 tablespoon butter

evoo

s&p

directions:

preheat skillet over medium high heat with evoo. wrap one piece of bacon around each filet, securing with small toothpick. meanwhile mix together mustard, parsley, thyme, rosemary, garlic, 1 teaspoon evoo and s&p in small bowl. brush tops and bottoms of steaks with mixture. grill for about 5 to 7 minutes per side, depending on how rare you like it. remove steaks from heat and let rest before serving. add beef stock to pan and use a wooden spatula to scrap up the brown bits. let this reduce by half. add butter to get a beautiful glaze to the pan sauce. pour over steak before serving.

as a side note, i read a really interesting article about using the palm of your hand to test the doneness of you meat. try it next time you're cooking!