Pin!

After months of hearing about Pinterest from all of my Mom friends, I finally jumped on the bandwagon and I have to say I'm smitten.  I've never experienced a site that satisfies all of my needs in one place... Facebook who?

Tonight I made a total stranger's Blackened Chicken with Cilantro Lime Quinoa and it was pintastic!  It is so good that it'll not only be part of my weekly lineup, but I would even serve it to guests.  I threw in some roasted summer squash with manchego and boiled corn since I had made it for my kids and topped it off with a dollop of avocado/sour cream sauce.  

Here's the recipe that serves 2.  You must try it!

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp cumin

1 tsp olive oil

1 tsp butter

2 cups low sodium chicken stock

1 cup quinoa

juice and zest of 2 limes

dash salt/pepper

2 tbsp cilantro, chopped (optional)

Other: Avocado sauce

1 avocado

2 tbsp sour cream 

1/2 juice of a lime

salt/pepper

Directions:

1) Prepare quinoa as directed (I use chicken stock over water).

2) While quinoa is cooking, combine all of the dry ingredients in a small bowl (paprika through cumin).
3) Rinse the chicken breasts, pat dry, and cover each breast with seasoning-front/back.

4) Add the olive oil and butter to a pan (I used a nonstick pan with a lid).  Heat over medium/high heat for about a minute and add the chicken breasts.  Cook for about 7 minutes per side with the lid on.  I kept flipping mine so each side wouldn't get too burned.

5) After the breasts are fully cooked (they should register at least 165 degrees on your thermometer), remove and allow to rest for five minutes before serving.

6) When the quinoa is finished cooking, transfer to a bowl and add the zest and juice of two limes and salt/pepper to taste.  (You can make this a few hours in advance to cut down on time). 

7) Remove the flesh of one avocado and add the sour cream, 1/2 the juice of a lime, and salt and pepper to taste.  Mix together.

8) Plate the quinoa and add the blackened chicken with a dollop of avocado sauce.

Follow me already.

PC: Yours Truly 

Recipe: Sarcastingcooking.com

So Hot Right Now

Burgers are the new black.  They're versatile, deliver a ton of bang for your buck, and can even make you slimmer. Pretty perfect in my book. Plus, we all know that grilling a mean burger makes you irresistible, so get on it!

I recently tried Self Magazine's Buffalo Chicken Burgers and loved them.  The blue cheese and celery create the perfect balance to the juicy chicken doused in hot sauce (Frank's obviously).  I served mine with a side of blue cheese dressing as well as baked sweet potato fries and roasted asparagus. "Healthy-enough"as I like to say. 

Next time I'll inject a few dashes of hot sauce into the patties for an extra kick (some like it hot).  And you can totally add american or any cheese on top if you need an extra cheesy cheese(chicken)burger.

Get your chicken on!

PC: Yummly.com

Pizza Night

My husband and I developed the gluttonous Sunday night habit of finishing off a Medium (sometimes Large) thin-crust pizza from our favorite pizzeria, Pizano's.  We find that there's nothing more rewarding than indulging in a mouthwatering pizza after a long weekend of keeping up with our twins.

However this past Sunday, after a quick stop at Whole Foods and picking up their homemade whole-wheat pizza dough, I decided to make my own pizza since I love to cook and am always looking for a creative outlet.  The results were astounding and my pizza was out of this world.  The crust was perfectly golden and crispy and the homemade mozzarella was savory and beyond my wildest dreams.  I paired it with a low-fat caesar salad and mounds of roasted veggies-summer squash, zucchini, and broccoli- Ina Garten-style.  And best of all, I finally started off the week feeling healthy and not an overstuffed sausage. 

Making a successful pizza is all about having a pizza stone and preheating it in the oven for at least 30 minutes at 450-500 degrees.  And using Whole Foods pizza dough doesn't hurt either.  It's pretty sick (in a good way). 

Recipe: Tomato and Mozzarella Flatbread Pizza by Giada featured in Food & Wine

PC: Smitten Kitchen