Spiced Chicken with Couscous Salad

This was a great summer recipe, perfect with basil and grape tomatoes from our garden!  We had to leave out the snap peas because the only ones the store had looked gross and were $6/pound.  If you like cucumber it would be a great addition to this salad.

Spiced Chicken with Couscous Salad (from Real Simple, June 2010)

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (6 ounces each)

1 teaspoon paprika

2 teaspoons ground cumin

kosher salt and black pepper

3⁄4 cup couscous

3/4 pound cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered

1/4 pound snap peas, thinly sliced crosswise (about 1 cup)

1/2 cup torn fresh basil

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Season the chicken with the paprika, cumin, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook until golden brown and cooked through, 6 to 7 minutes per side; transfer to plates.

Meanwhile, place the couscous in a large bowl. Add 1 cup hot tap water, cover, and let sit for 5 minutes; fluff with a fork. Add the tomatoes, snap peas, basil, lemon zest, lemon juice, the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and toss to combine.  Slice the chicken and serve with the couscous.

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Peach and Blackberry Cobbler

I bought a bunch of fruit on sale last weekend, including peaches and blackberries that were ripening faster than we could eat them, so I found this recipe and whipped up a cobbler, definitely delicious!  Similar to the peach-raspberry cobbler I’ve made in the past.  Sorry for the terrible picture!

Peach and Blackberry Cobbler (from Cooking Light)

Ingredients:

• 1/4  cup  butter, melted and divided
• Cooking spray
• 3  cups  sliced fresh peaches (about 1 pound)
• 2  cups  fresh blackberries
• 1  cup  plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided (about 4 1/2 ounces)
• 1  cup  sugar, divided
• 1/4  teaspoon  ground ginger
• 1  tablespoon  baking powder
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1  cup  1% low-fat milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Pour 2 tablespoons melted butter into the bottom of a 2-quart dish coated with cooking spray.

3. Combine peaches, blackberries, and 1 tablespoon flour in a large bowl; toss gently. Add 1/4 cup sugar and ginger; toss gently to combine. Pour peach mixture into prepared baking dish. Lightly spoon remaining 1 cup flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine 1 cup flour, remaining 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter and milk, stirring with a whisk. Pour batter evenly over fruit mixture.

4. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until golden brown.

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Frozen Pesto

Our garden is doing fabulous this year, but with 3 basil plants I have to work to stay on top of it now that they are proliferating so quickly.  I decided over the weekend to try my hand at freezing pesto, and to try the ice cube tray method for the first time, so we can better portion it.  I’ve used this pesto recipe in the past, but decided to try a different one this time, and I think I liked it better.  It froze really well too, this picture is pre-freezing, I popped them out of the tray today after running some hot water over the bottom to loosen them up a bit.  Then I put them in ziplock bags (usually 3-5 cubes per bag) and stuck them back in the freezer for later use.

Fresh Basil Pesto (from Simply Recipes)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano or Romano cheese
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
• 3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preparation:

Combine the basil in with the pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. (If you are using walnuts instead of pine nuts and they are not already chopped, pulse them a few times first, before adding the basil.) Add the garlic, pulse a few times more.

Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Makes 1 cup.

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Dijon Vinaigrette

I needed a quick salad dressing recipe last night for the salad we were having with our lasagna and I came across this recipe in my Google Reader from Bryn Alexandra’s blog, which isn’t a food blog at all!.  It was delicious, pretty tangy so I added some sugar to balance it out.  It was great on our simple green salads with herbed goat cheese (as that’s all we had on hand!)

Dijon Vinaigrette (from Cooking Light)

Ingredients:

• 2  tablespoons  white wine vinegar
• 2  teaspoons  Dijon mustard
• 1  tablespoon  extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/8 t pepper
• sugar to taste

Combine vinegar, mustard,  1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, and desired amount of sugar in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Gradually add oil, stirring with a whisk.

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White Wine Sangria

I’ve made this recipe twice in the last month for parties and it is delicious!  I am not a fan of red wine so I was pretty excited when I discovered white wine sangria a few years ago.  This recipe is full of citrus flavors but the sugar and a touch of ginger ale balance it nicely.

White Wine Sangria (from about.com)

Ingredients:

• 1 Bottle of white wine (Riesling, Albarino, Chablis, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc)
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 3 oranges (sliced) or may substitute 1 cup of orange juice)
• 1 lemon (sliced)
• 1 lime (sliced)
• 1/2 liter of ginger ale or club soda (ginger ale for those with a sweeter tooth!)

Preparation:

Pour wine in the pitcher and squeeze the juice wedges from the orange,lemon and lime into the wine. Toss in the fruit wedges (leaving out seeds if possible) and add sugar. Chill overnight. Add ginger ale or club soda just before serving.If you’d like to serve right away, use chilled white wine and serve over lots of ice.

Additional ideas: sliced strawberries, peaches, handful of fresh blueberries, raspberries, kiwi, a shot or two of gin, brandy or rum, a cup of citrus-flavored soda pop.

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