Easy Quinoa with Roasted Mini-Bell Peppers

23 Aug 2013 2 Comments

by sparksfromthekitchen in Lunch, Main Dish, Salad, Side Dish

Sometimes it’s surprising how tasty something that is so easy and that has just a few ingredients is, isn’t it?   The title of this recipe doesn’t lie. It’s easy. But it’s also fab!!

For a recipe swap for ‘Summer Salads’ with some fellow food bloggers I was given this recipe from Jenni’s blog www.doughseedough.net and I’m so glad! As the recipe title suggests it is truly easy so it’s a snap to just put together in a flash.  I adjusted her recipe a bit (I roasted the peppers in the oven instead of in a pan on the stove to cut down on the oil) and I halved her original recipe as it’s just me eating it.

quinoa

Easy Quinoa with Roasted Mini-Bell Peppers

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
  • 1 cup quinoa, rinced well if needed
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped small
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1  bag of mini-bell peppers (mine had 6), sliced into 1/2 inch strips, seeds removed
  • 4 ozs feta cheese, crumbled
  • kosher salt and white pepper, to taste
  • 1 tbsp parsley, chopped small

Instructions:

  1. In a medium sauce pan over medium/high heat add the broth and quinoa and simmer until cooked to desired consistancy (for me that’s about 14 minutes-I like it al dente), drain remaining broth if necessary. Set aside and keep warm.
  2. While the quinoa is cooking pre-heat oven to 375.
  3. On a baking pan lined with foil arrange the peppers in one layer, sprinkle with garlic and drizzle with the olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and roast for about 15 minutes.
  4. In a large bowl combine the quinoa and peppers/garlic and stir. Top with feta and parsley and serve.

Check out the other great salads in the swap here!!

Caprese Chicken

21 Aug 2013 Leave a comment

by sparksfromthekitchen in Main Dish, Slow Cooker Tags: , ,

Recently I came across a recipe that I had printed for Balsamic Chicken which was cooked in the slow cooker.  It sounded delicious and very easy-but why stop there? If the chicken would cook for hours in delicious balsamic vinegar why not make it into a caprese chicken dish? In my head I imagined a piece of chicken topped with a slice of melted fresh mozzarella cheese, some toasted breadcrumbs, some tomatoes, fresh basil and drizzled with olive oil and balsamic glaze.  And that’s exactly what happened-although the picture in my head was this neat little package all perfectly balanced on the plate and the plate that I ended up with wasn’t quite so neat.

The flavor. WOW! Delicious!  Drizzling the balsamic glaze and olive oil over the dish at the end really made all of the other flavors pop.

The other fab part of this dish is that the chicken cooks in the slow cooker and you can make that in advance (mine was cooked on Sunday and I made the completed dish on a Tuesday night). The completed dish took no  more than 15 minutes start to finish-so it’s great for a weeknight as well.

I had cherry tomatoes on hand but you can certainly use other larger tomatoes and just cut a few slices-just make sure they’re nice and ripe.

caprese1

Caprese Chicken

Ingredients for slow cooker portion:

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 2-2.5 lbs, seasoned with salt and pepper
  • 1 medium yellow onion, sliced to 1/2 inch rounds and then halved
  • 4 large garlic cloves, chopped into a few pieces
  • 1/2 cup high-quality balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • 1 tsp dried rosemary
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes (do not drain)

Ingredients for oven portion:

  • 3 tsp butter
  • 6 tbsp fresh seasoned breadcrumbs
  • 3-6 slices fresh mozzarella (1-2 slices each-as per your taste)
  • 1/2  pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half or larger tomatoes sliced.
  • fresh basil leaves, sliced thin
  • drizzles of balsamic glaze 
  • drizzles of olive oil 

Instructions for the slow cooker:

  1. Trim any fat from the chicken, season with salt and pepper and set aside.
  2. Coat the bottom of the slow cooker insert with the olive oil, snuggle the chicken breasts into the cooker in an even layer, top with the onion and, garlic and herbs.  Pour the vinegar and tomatoes into the cooker.
  3. Cook on low for 6 hours.
  4. If you plan on completing the dish another day allow the chicken and onion/tomato mixture to cool and then store in the refrigerator for a few days—otherwise continue below.

Instructions for oven:

  1. Preheat broiler to low setting.
  2. Place the butter in a small pan on the stove over medium heat. When hot and bubbling add the breadcrumbs.  Stir and cook until toasty brown then set aside.
  3. Reheat chicken and some of the onions/tomato mixture (however you’d like–I used the microwave).
  4. In a dish suitable for the broiler place the chicken and some of the onions/tomato mixture, top with slices of cheese then breadcrumbs and put in the oven until the cheese is melted and bubbly.  Remove from the oven, place chicken and some of the onions/tomatoes on a plate, arrange tomatoes around it, sprinkle with basil and drizzle with the olive oil and balsamic glaze. Serve immediately.

caprese2

 

Chicken with Mushrooms & Shallots

15 Aug 2013 Leave a comment

by sparksfromthekitchen in Main Dish Tags: ,

I’m always on the look out for new, fast, delicious chicken recipes and this one filled that bill perfectly. Very little prep, cooks quickly and the end result is a wonderfully flavorful, moist piece of chicken with earthy mushrooms and savory shallots-and plenty of them as you can see in the photo below. Clearly I haven’t mastered the art of food photography but trust me on this-the chicken is way better than my crappy photo makes it look.

chicken

Chicken with Mushrooms & Shallots

Ingredients:

  • 4 6oz skinless boneless chicken breast  (halves) 1/3 inch thick
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 large shallots
  • 8ozs presliced mushrmoom blend (I used baby bella, shiitake and oyster)
  • 1/3 cup dry sherry
  • 1 tsp dried marjoram
  • Cooking spray

Instructions:

  1. Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper, coat with cooking spray. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to the pan and cook until browned on each side about 5-6 minutes.
  2. While chicken is cooking slice the shallots into thin rounds. Remove the chicken from the pan and set it aside. Spray the pan with cooking spray, add the mushrooms and shallots and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in sherry and marjoram.  Put the chicken back into the pan, cover and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until the chicken is cooked thoroughly and the mushrooms are tender. Serve chicken with mushrooms and shallot mixture poured over the top.

Makes 4 servings.

Adapted from Cooking Light Fresh Food Fast cookbook.

Grilled Chilean Sea Bass Sandwich with Homemade Tartar Sauce

12 Aug 2013 Leave a comment

by sparksfromthekitchen in Condiment/Topping, Lunch, Main Dish Tags: ,

Recently I’ve had it in my head that I need to eat more fish at home. Seeing as though I live on an island with an abundance of fantastic fresh fish available it shouldn’t be too much of a challenge.  I used Chilean Sea Bass for this sandwich but you could also use cod, grouper or any other white flaky fish.

Keeping with that thought I decided to make this sandwich and it was so fantastic!! Light, flaky fish and tangy, zesty tartar sauce. It wasn’t too big or too small-just right. These sandwiches came together in no time. While the fish is cooking you prepare the sauce. 

fish1

Grilled Chilean Sea Bass Sandwich with Homemade Tartar Sauce

Ingredients:

  • 1 5-6oz fresh Chilean Sea Bass filet, skin and any bones removed
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • salt & pepper for seasoning
  • 1 sandwich roll or hamburger bun (I used one Arnold whole wheat Sandwich Thin)
  • lettuce leaves

Instructions:

  1. Pre-heat a stove top grill pan to medium heat  (you can also use an outdoor grill).
  2. Drizzle fish with olive oil on all sides and then season with salt and pepper.
  3. Place fish on the grill and cook for about 3 minutes on each side (depending on the size of the fish) until fish flakes easily with a fork.
  4. Place fish, lettuce and tartar sauce (recipe below) on a bun and enjoy.

Makes 1 sandwich.

 

Homemade Tartar Sauce

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup light mayonnaise
  • 2 tbsp chopped scallions
  • 1&1/2 tbsp finely chopped cornichons
  • 1&1/2 tsp capers, drained
  • 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Instructions:

  1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl and set aside to use right away or refrigerate until later.

Makes just over 1/4 cup of sauce.

 

Both recipies adapted from Cooking Light Fresh Food Fast cookbook.

 

Baked French Toast

09 Aug 2013 Leave a comment

by sparksfromthekitchen in Breakfast, Uncategorized Tags: , ,

I  haven’t posted anything new (aside of the 1 year blogiversary) because I had a lovely vacation and birthday in New Hampshire with family.  The hotel where we stayed has full kitchens in the units so we do some cooking while we’re there.  I made a taco dinner one night  with this delicious slow cooker taco beef, along with cilantro lime rice, zingy corn salsa and yummy cookies. 

I chose to make this Baked French Toast one morning for breakfast. There were 6 of us there and we only had one small piece left over.

It was easy to make-I just brought the ingredients and a baking dish with me. It was a fast assembly and easy cooking-perfect for a crowd and not a lot of work.

break1

Baked French Toast

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
  • 16 slices white bread (1lb or 650gram loaf such as Pepperidge Farm)
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
  • 3 cups whole milk
  • 6 large eggs
  • 1/4 tsp table salt

Instructions:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 450. In a small bowl whisk the cinnamon and sugar together and set aside. On 1 or 2 baking sheets (you’ll have to lay the bread slices flat. If you have 2 baking sheets use them, if not you’ll just use 1 twice) with foil. Spread about 1tsp of butter onto one side of each slice of bread.  Place non-buttered side down on the baking sheet until all are buttered. Sprinkle each with 1tsp of the cinnamon sugar.  Put the tray(s) into the oven and bake until the bread is golden and the cinnamon sugar is a bit crusty–about 8-11 minutes. Watch the bread carefully.  When the bread is finished cooking reduce the oven temp to 375 and set the bread aside to cool a bit. Set the extra cinnamon sugar aside for later.
  2. Butter a 9×13 baking dish well. Cut 2 slices of bread in half horizontally and set aside. Lay half of the bread in one row and half in another row the length of the dish, overlapping each other.  Finish the last piece in each with one of the halves and snuggle the other 2 halves under the bread on the other end of the row.  They will look like those rows of cards that fall onto each other (see photo above).
  3. In a bowl whisk the milk, salt and eggs together and pour evenly over the bread. Let it sit for 15 minutes minimum (or overnight).
  4. Use the remaining cinnamon sugar from step 1 and sprinkle it over the bread before you put the dish in the oven. Bake for about 30 minutes until slightly puffy and golden. Press gently from one side to the other to make sure that no liquid will press out of the bread.
  5. Serve immediately with syrup or powdered sugar or anything else you’d like.

break2

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen.

Note: the next time I make this I will use less custard to keep the bottom layer more crispy.

Happy First Blogiversary to SFTK!!!

08 Aug 2013 1 Comment

by sparksfromthekitchen in Uncategorized

WOW! I can’t believe it’s been a year since I started this blog. Looking back I’ve made some really great dishes (and some not great that will never be posted here), made a lot of great blogiverse friends, learned a ton and had a great time!!

I hope year 2 for Sparks From the Kitchen will be just as great, if not better Thanks to everyone who has liked, posted, commented, tasted, shared and visited this blog.  That’s part of the fun!!

 

 

Dijon, Honey and Greek Cream Cheese Sauce

26 Jul 2013 1 Comment

by sparksfromthekitchen in Condiment/Topping, Snack Tags: ,

I made this sauce to go with my Baked Chicken Bites.  You don’t get a more classic dipping sauce than Honey Mustard. But I made it special. I used Dijon which I prefer for a honey mustard sauce and mille fleur honey that I bought while in Sicily.  I also mixed it with my new favorite Greek Cream Cheese.

This is a delicious, silky, sweet, tangy sauce that would be perfect for french fries, pretzels etc… you name it! Give it a try!

hmust

Dijon, Honey & Greek Cream Cheese Sauce

Ingredients:

  • 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
  • 2 tsp honey
  • 3-4 tsp Greek Cream Cheese

Instructions:

  1. mix it all together. Taste and add a bit more of any ingredient if you’d like.

Pistachio Pesto & Greek Cream Cheese Dipping Sauce

26 Jul 2013 1 Comment

by sparksfromthekitchen in Condiment/Topping, Snack Tags: , , ,

I made this sauce to go with my Baked Chicken Bites and it was so delicious! Because the greek yogurt cream cheese is whipped it was so light but so flavorful.  It just enhanced the flavors of the pesto. I think that this sauce would also be very tasty on a sandwich.

pesto

Pistachio Pesto & Greek Yogurt Cream Cheese Sauce

Ingredients:

  • 1 tsbp Pistachio Pesto (here’s the recipe)
  • 1.5 tbsp whipped greek yogurt cream cheese

Instructions:

  1. Mix the 2 ingredients together, put it in a cute bowl and enjoy 🙂

If you haven’t yet tried the Green Mountain Farms Greek Cream Cheese you’re missing out. I discovered it a few months ago and LOVE it. PS: this is my own opinion. The company has no idea who I am. It’s delicious!!

Baked Chicken Bites (with 2 Dipping Sauces)

26 Jul 2013 Leave a comment

by sparksfromthekitchen in Uncategorized

Last week I had one large chicken breast left over after making the Red Dragon Chicken Salad so I made up some baked nuggets. They were delicious! Crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside and just the right amount of taste from the  marinade.  I also made 2 yummy dipping sauces because who wants to eat them plain? No one that’s who. So here we go.

chix

Baked Chicken Bites

Ingredients:

  • 1 large chicken breast, fat trimmed, cut into 2 bite pieces
  • 1 large garlic clove, smashed
  • 1/5 cup light italian dressing
  • 1 cup Panko
  • salt and pepper

Instructions:

  1. Place chicken, garlic and dressing in a ziplock bag and let it marinate at least 30 minutes.
  2. Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  3. Place panko in a shallow dish.  Roll each piece of chicken through the panko until coated and then place it on the baking sheet.
  4. Bake for approximately 25 minutes or until cooked thoroughly.
  5. Serve immediately.

I don’t know how the photo came out so anemic looking-the chicken really was nice and golden brown.  That’s why I’m not a photographer.

Here’s the recipe for the Pistachio Pesto Greek Cream Cheese Sauce

Here’s the recipe for the Dijon, Honey and Greek Cream Cheese Sauce

Pistachio Pesto

25 Jul 2013 1 Comment

by sparksfromthekitchen in Condiment/Topping, Freezer, Seasoning, Thaw/Reheat & Serve Tags: ,

Years ago I remember seeing Alton Brown make a pistachio pesto and it sounded so delicious! I love pistachios and have always kept that in the back of my mind.

So recently I made some. Wow is it delicious!!  You really can taste the pistachios but they don’t over-power the basil or parmesan (and if you’re a regular reader you know how I love my parmesan.  Hell, if this is the first time you’re ever reading this let it be known-I love parmesan) I made quite a bit and froze 2 tbsp amounts wrapped in plastic for use whenever I want it. Enjoy!!

(sorry no photo of the plain pesto–I forgot to take one when I made it but this is a photo of it mixed into greek yogurt/cream cheese for a dipping sauce. you get the idea)

pesto

Pistachio Pesto

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups basil leaves, stems removed, washed, patted dry
  • 1 large garlic clove
  • 1/3-1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
  • 1/4 cup shelled unsalted pistachios
  • 2/3 -1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • pinch of kosher salt

Instructions:

  1. Place the basil, garlic, parmesan and pistachios into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until chopped and even
  2. While the machine is running pour in the olive oil
  3. When desired consistancy is reached add the salt and pulse to combine
  4. Serve or freeze or refrigerate

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