BBQ Chicken Breasts

Now that spring is here to stay it's time to whip out your blow torches (I have 3 if you need to borrow one) and light those Weber Grills up.  

A few weeks ago the track teams had an off weekend so we celebrated with a BBQ, and while most of my teammates brought frozen burgers and the traditional fixings I wanted to try a new BBQ chicken recipe out.  

The chicken is easy you just need to prepare ahead and might need to buy a few seasonings you might not have in the cupboard (don't worry cumin is a great flavor).  It is best to marinade ahead and let the flavors soak into the chicken breasts for at least an hour.  

I also made a sweet (sweet as in sugary but also sweet as in awesome) sauce to baste over the chicken and pile on top because it is finger licking good (I didn't measure everything completely so some of these are guesses, but it is more fun that way)!

Enjoy this Just Good Food, and coming soon a special on crepes!

Recipes:  (Makes 3 large chicken breasts)

3 large chicken breasts (tenderized)

1 tbsp chili powder

1/2 tbsp cumin

1/2 tbsp garlic powder

1 tsp cayenne pepper

2 tbsp's worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp's olive oil

1 tbsp mustard

2 tbsp honey

salt and pepper

BBQ Sauce: (Makes 1 1/2 cups)

1 cup ketchup 

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tbsp honey

2 tbsp worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup water

2 tbsp red wine vinegar 

1 tbsp dijon mustard

1/2 tbsp cumin

1/2 tbsp paprika

2 tbsp's chili powder

1 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

Directions:

First, cut and clean each chicken breast before tenderizing (instead of smashing to a thin layer, poke all over with a forks so all the seasonings soak in).  

It is simple really though, place the chicken breasts in a tupperware container and pour all the liquid ingredients over first followed by all the spices.  

Seal tightly with the top and flip and turn it so all the seasonings get soaked into the chicken (you can also get your hands dirty and rub them over the chicken if you wish).  

Place in the fridge for an hour, or more, before grilling.

After refrigerating, fire up that grill and make sure it is at a medium-low heat of around 275 degrees.  Be sure to also clean off the grill top so the chicken breasts don't stick and get torn up (a good way to maintain a stick free grill top is to spray with pam or an oil spray of some sort).

Grill each side of the chicken for 5-6 minutes and make sure it retains its juices but isn't pink before serving.  When flipping the breast you can also baste them with the sauce.

Serve with home fries, some greens and plenty of sauce!

For the sauce simply pour all the ingredients into a saucepan that is on low heat, let it reduce so the flavors marriage well.  Serve over the chicken.

Pasta Recipe

As promised here is the super easy super delicious homemade pasta recipe.  Like I said previously, it only requires 5 ingredients (4 of which are almost always in your house) and the best part is the noodles will be ready to go as the water begins to boil.

Though I have a pasta roller (very nice but not necessary) all you need is a rolling pin and knife to cut the dough into the noodle shape you prefer (this is also a very easy way to make ravioli, and now I got excited to try that out)!

The options are endless, you can add cheese, meet, fresh spinach, pesto...the list goes on.  If I haven't convinced you yet it may be hopeless, but try it out, have fun with it, and Enjoy this Just Good Food!

Recipe: Serves 3-4

1 1/2 cups semolina flour (link is the stuff I use)

2-3 tbsp water 

1-2 tbsp olive oil

2 whole eggs

salt

flour (optional for dusting)

Directions:

First, boil the water for the pasta so you can realize the dough can be made in just a few minutes (the dough  can also be made ahead of time and in large batches, which is what I do).

Get a large bowl out and mix the semolina flour and salt together, add the wet ingredients (I usually add closer to 3 tbsp of water to ensure everything sticks together) and adjust as needed.  

Knead the dough for a few minutes to break air bubbles and form everything really well.  After, you can either place in the fridge, for at least 20 minutes, or rollout and form the pasta right away.  

When you are ready to roll out the pasta, dust a countertop with a handful of flour (this avoids sticking) and begin to roll out the pasta to a very thin consistency (play around with this, but if it is too thick it will take longer to cook).  Now get a sharp knife and cut/shape dough into desired pasta shape.  

Once completed you are ready to cook the pasta.  Carefully bring the noodles over to the water as you don't want to break them.  Get your strainer ready as the noodles won't take more than 2 minutes, YES 2 MINUTES, to cook.  

 Boom, serve drizzled with olive oil and parmesan and you will never go back to the box!

Homemade pasta with portobello mushroom, sage, and garlic

I finally used my homemade pasta maker I got for Christmas and it is easier than making scrambled eggs, and tastes so much better than boxed pasta.  The best part is that it uses only 5 ingredients, all except one are guaranteed to be in your home: water, salt, eggs, olive oil (exception is semolina flour which can be found at most grocery stores).

I decided to do something completely different with this pasta recipe.  Like most college students I eat a lot of pasta for the obvious reasons of cheap, simple, and tasty; but what most of my friends don't realize is the variations with pasta are limitless (why do you think that's all Italians eat).

This is one of those recipes that is very different and I wasn't sure if it would turn out but it did and is healthy, tasty, and quick; right up YOUR alley!

Enjoy this Just Good Food!

Recipe: Serves 2-3

2 Large portobello mushrooms
12 oz spaghetti (boxed or homemade)
3 cloves of garlic
3 tbsp roughly chopped sage
1 tbsp olive oil
parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
1 tbsp butter
half a zested lemon
juice of half a lemon
pasta water


Directions:

First, start boiling a pot of water for the pasta and cook when water is boiling and salted (this is important as the salt gives the pasta flavor) heavily. 

 Grill the mushrooms and season them with salt and pepper; cook for a few minutes on each side(I use my George Foreman, or frying them works too).  Get a large sauté pan on medium heat and place minced garlic in the pan with chopped sage (together so garlic doesn't burn and become bitter).

Once the mushrooms are done cut into skinny, long pieces and place in the garlic and sage oil to marriage the flavors.  After 3-4 minutes, add the zested lemon, butter and lemon juice and continue to stir in to control the thickness of the sauce (you want it fairly thin) but consistent.  

Once the pasta is cooked, mix in with the mushrooms and sauce (you always finish pasta in the sauce to form the marriage).  Add a little pasta water if needed and salt and pepper to taste.  

Serve immediately sprinkled with a little fresh sage on top and parmesan cheese.  You'll love this new take on pasta and it is perfect for a meatless meal!

Chicken with Basil and Goat Cheese

This is a recipe my family tried from Barefoot Contessa and is pretty fantastic.  Chicken is always easy and inexpensive but can get boring; I have so many friends who bake or grill chicken for dinner every night and ask me how they can make their chicken taste great. 

Well here is a recipe that is inexpensive, healthy, and will add some flavor to your pallet.

It is a little more advanced then some of recipes just because it takes a little more effort but that is what makes cooking fun!  Follow the directions and you will be satisfied with this meal.  

Enjoy this Just Good Food paired with whole grain rice (mixed with extra chopped basil and lemon) or honey glazed carrots found here.

Recipes:  (Serves 2)

2 4-5oz chicken breasts (butterflied or flattened to 1/4inch thickness)

4oz of fresh "Cheve" goat cheese 

Fresh Basil Leaves (handful 1oz)

lemon juice

olive oil

salt and pepper

toothpicks

Directions:

First wash and trim the chicken breasts and either butterfly or flatten (if you don't have toothpicks butterflying the breasts might be your best choice).  Preheat the oven to 375 so it is all ready to go for the chicken.

Spread a little olive oil on the breast and then salt and pepper them very well (I've learned more and more how important salt is in cooking because it brings out the other flavors so much).  The olive oil also works as a glue for the basil leaves to stick too.  

Next, place the basil leaves flat on the chicken (this will flavor the chicken very well) and spread liberally the goat cheese atop the leaves.

Fold over or roll up and stick with tooth picks.  Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until juicy and tender (the chicken is skinnier so should cook faster).  Before serving pour a little more olive oil and lemon juice over the breasts to add some more flavor.  You will absolutely love this chicken so give it a shot and tell your friends!

30 Minute Marinara Sauce

This sauce is super easy, deliciously tasty, and perfect for Lent Fridays!  I don't understand why we continue to buy the bottled sauce with all the preservatives and lack of taste instead of make homemade red sauce because it is so so so easy to do.  

In order to make this sauce perfect just use fresh ingredients (fresh basil, garlic, onion etc.) and make lots so you can't go for the jar of sauce.

I make this sauce a little spicy and shared with some of my friends, one who said she was eating it like soup it was so good.  How I love to share food with friends!

I made some homemade pasta tonight with my new pasta maker finally and oh how easy and fun it was and the pasta was so much better!  

Enjoy this Just Good Food friends!
WARNING: this will make your house smell fantastic, there you've been warned!

Recipe:

1 sweet onion

4-5 cloves of garlic

1 tbsp olive oil

2, 28oz cans of peeled tomatoes 

1/2 cup fresh basil (chopped)

1/3 cup red wine

3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp white sugar

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

red pepper flakes

salt and pepper (quite a bit)

Directions:

Guess what friends??? I finally used my new pasta maker from Christmas and it is so easy and fresh pasta tastes incredible (and guess what else you don't have to have a pasta roller to make it!)  Recipe coming soon!

Start by roughly chopping the onion (we will be blending everything to a smooth consistency so no need to be neat).  Cook the onion in a tbsp of olive oil on medium heat until slightly browned (about 5 minutes).  Add garlic halfway through (you can mince the cloves or roughly chop them) and cook.

Add the wine and let reduce to half (about 3-4 minutes), rub the "crud" from the bottom of the pan and add salt and pepper (you'll probably do this several times throughout) the cooking process.

After the wine has reduce to half add the canned tomatoes (some people think canned tomatoes are bad but actually they are picked at the optimal time so they work and taste great if they aren't filled with preservatives), let simmer and flavors form a marriage.

Chop the basil (the more the better, and yes fresh is a must!) and place in the pot along with the balsamic, sugar, and other spices (add garlic powder and pepper flakes to taste and more s&p to taste).

Let sit for another 10 minutes and then, in batches, place in a food processor and blend until a smooth consistency is formed.  Serve over pasta, dip with bread, on a flour tortilla for a quick pizza, or simply a spoon (like my friend...).  

Tommiemedia.com posted an article on eating healthy...SPREAD this to your friends because this sauce cost less than $8 (fresh and organic) and serves at least 4-6.  Enjoy!!

Spinach and Goat Cheese Penne

It's official, 2 days until "Fat Tuesday" so I'm going to try and squeeze out as many great recipes as I can to prepare for the Feast of the year!

I love this pasta, it is simple and satisfying and perfect to pair with fish (for Fridays) or chicken or by itself. 

A few of my friends ask me how to easily get vegetables in without eating salads or those freezer bagged veggies that taste like plastic.

This recipe is perfect as you get A TON of spinach in it (full of vitamins A and C) plus it tastes great!  I was inspired from Giada, but I made some changes by adding fresh basil leaves, more garlic and some pasta water to make it creamy with a nice consistency throughout.

Enjoy this Just Good Food, and watch out the garlic might get to you here!

Recipe:

6 ounces fresh organic spinach leaves

2 ounces goat cheese 

1 ounce cream cheese

3-4 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves (don't use unless fresh)

1/2 tsp salt

16 ounces whole grain penne

fresh pepper

parmesan
pepper

Directions:

Boil a large pot of salted water and cook the penne (about 12 minutes), stirring occasionally (I learned that Italians DO NOT put oil in the water to keep the noodles from sticking they just continually stir the pasta).

In a food processor (if you don't have one get one because they are the best kitchen tool you can have), mince the garlic, goat cheese, cream cheese, 3/4 of the spinach, fresh basil, and salt/pepper.  Blend until smooth and creamy.

Place the remaining spinach leaves in a bowl, drain the pasta and place on top of the spinach.  

Pour the cheese mixture over the pasta and lather liberally.  Add a few spoonfuls of water to moisten the mixture and add parmesan and serve!  

This meal will take you about 20 minutes and can be served alongside many things.  Try it and you'll be hooked.  A fair warning is the garlic will get you smelling like a clove but it's worth it.  Enjoy!

Butternut Squash Soup with Fried Shallots

Here is the Final entry for the month of homemade soups.  I love butternut squash, and many people don't know how to use it or don't realize its value; but it's inexpensive and great tasting, the only downside being it's kind of difficult to chop.

I was inspired from the tomato soup and a few other recipes (including my new favorite chef Anne Burrell)  plus combining a few of my favorite flavors.  This soup is filling, healthy and different.  So if you want to change things up, surprise your roommates then give it a shot.  Only takes about an hour (mostly simmering time) and is easier than the tomato comfort soup recipe.  Enjoy this Just Good Food!

Recipe:  Serves 4-6

3 tbsp Olive Oil

1 medium onion chopped 

1 medium carrot peeled and chopped 

4 cups veggie stock

1 (2.5lb) butternut squash

4 cloves of garlic minced

2 bay leaves

1/4 cup fresh chopped sage

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp thyme (or fresh thyme)

1/4 tsp cumin

salt and pepper

olive oil (neutral oil for frying)

1-2 shallots

2 tbsp flour

Directions:

First, place the olive oil in a large saucepan and chop the onion and let it "sweat" (meaning cook down for a while) about 5 minutes along with the garlic.  

Meanwhile, peel and chop the squash into small pieces (1/4 inch) the smaller the quicker it will cook.  Since they are difficult to work with, I cut the squash down in sections to make it easier to work with.  Once you have the squash cut, place with the onions and garlic in the pot along with the stock and all the seasonings.  

Let simmer for about 20-30 minutes, uncovered or covered doesn't matter, to test if it's finished eat a piece of squash and if it's mushy you're good to go.  If the liquid is evaporating too quickly, add some more stock/water and turn down the heat slightly.   

When the soup is done, prepare your food processor and blend the soup in groups to insure a smooth consistency throughout.  Blend the soup for about 20 seconds (until everything is thoroughly incorporated). 

Before serving fry the shallots (Anne Burrell is a genius this gives it an incredible crunch and extra flavor that sparks the taste buds).

Simply slice the shallots into little rings, place them in flour, coating evenly, and then fry for a few minutes until nice and golden.

Serve garnished with the shallots, and a little fresh thyme on top!

Tortellini Soup

This is Recipe #2 of the January "Soup Series."  It is one of our family favorites (again) from my Aunt Kathy and it is sooo good and simple.  What I love most about soups/stews is that yes there is a lot of variety and fun you can have with making them, but most of all you use very few dishes, making clean up a cinch.  

I made a few changes in the recipe including the addition of pancetta, using both beef and veggie broth, a jalapeño, and a few other spices to add some more flavor.  Otherwise this recipe is perfect and will feed an army (ok well 4 easily), I made the full batch and have a bunch of leftovers (YAY!)  Enjoy this Just Good Food with a good loaf of bread and some fresh parsley and parmesan to top off the soup!

Recipe:

1 lb of italian pork sausage (spicy or mild)

4 cloves of garlic

3 oz pancetta (chopped bite size)

1/2 cup red wine (better than water obviously)

5 1/2 cups split between beef and veggie broth

A 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes

A 8 oz can of tomato sauce

3 carrots (peeled and chopped bite size)

2 zucchini (sliced and halved)

1 green bell pepper (chopped bite size)

1 jalapeño (optional, tiny pieces)

1 tsp dried basil

1 tbsp oregano

1 tsp red pepper flakes

sprig of fresh basil leaves

S&P

8 oz cheese tortellini

olive oil

parmesan (grated)

fresh parsley (optional)

Directions:

In a large pot, pour in some olive oil and set at medium heat and brown the garlic gloves and add the sausage links and chopped pancetta (remove the casing but don't break apart the sausage just yet).  Once the meat is browned, remove and chop into bite size pieces.  

To the pot, add the broth, wine, tomatoes, carrots, dried basil, oregano, S&P to taste, tomato sauce, and the meat once it's chopped.  Bring this to a boil and let simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes (you want the veggies fairly soft but not mushy).  Drain the fat and stir in the other ingredients (zucchini, jalapeño, green pepper, and tortellini and fresh basil leaves)

Then simmer covered for 20-25 minutes (wait for the noodles to cook and everything to come together).  Don't simmer too long otherwise you will reduce the liquid too much, remove basil leaves when done.  Sprinkle with parmesan, S&P and Serve!

Tomato Soup

January starts the beginning of a variety of comforting, hearty, and healthy soups and stews!  Ok it may not be in the negatives yet or even freezing yet but winter will be upon us before we know it.  My mom makes this soup and is one of our family favorites; from a vegan cookbook called the Fexitarian Table and you will love it too. 

The soup is not a traditional "American" homemade tomato soup with milk and lots of tomatoes, instead this recipes requires lots and lots of onions (4 cups ahh!)  but surprisingly does not have a oniony taste (it tricks you kind of like French onion soup).  

This soup is also very easy however, requires a few kitchen tools including a food processor or blender and fresh organic ingredients (don't try and prove me wrong because you will be sorry).  Otherwise this just takes time, about an hour or so, but it's well worth it.

Enjoy this Just Good Food and serve soup with a nice loaf of french bread, and make it fancy with some cheve goat cheese on top (means French) and make a big batch because you'll want it over and over again!

Recipe:

3-4 white onions (about 4 cups thinly sliced)

4 cloves of garlic (peeled only)

1 medium carrot

2 Tbsp tomato paste

28 oz can diced tomatoes in juice

2 cups vegetable stock (use veggie stock, will have a richer flavor)

2 2-inch strips of orange zest 

A sprig of fresh sage

1/3 cup olive oil

Sea Salt

1/2-1 ted red pepper flakes

Directions:

In a large pot, heat the olive oil on medium high heat add add the onions and a pinch of sea salt and cook until onions are softened (about 5 minutes).  Continue to stir the onions during this process so you don't brown them.  Add the garlic cloves, peeled carrot and red pepper flakes lower the heat to medium low and cover.  Let sit for about 15 minutes until the veggies are nice and juicy but keep an eye as you don't want the veggies to dry out (if so add a little water).

Next, add the tomato paste and cook into the onions for a couple of minutes.  Add the diced tomatoes (juice and all), vegetable stock, orange zest, and sage and let simmer (medium low heat) and let sit for about 15 minutes and let flavors blend together.  

Remove the pot from the heat and discard the orange zest and sage (make sure to do this!).  This is when you need the food processor (or blender), as you will need to puree the soup in batches (it won't all fit in one batch).  Puree until smooth and season with more salt and fresh black pepper.  Reheat before serving and remember the crostini to go with it.  

Serve with red pepper flakes sprinkled on top and a little bit of orange zest for presentation.