Herbed Chicken with Spring Vegetables

Posted on June 12, 2013 by Lattes and Leggings

Last Friday it was pouring rain. Dark and windy. The kind of day where you want to stay inside curled up on the couch with a cup of coffee. That morning I came across a tweet that the Union Square Greenmarket posted. It was an Instagram picture of rainbow carrots. Knowing they would be all snatched up by lunchtime, I rushed for the raincoat, umbrella, and boots and headed out the door.

With a half mangled umbrella covering my major frizz-ball, slightly damp hair (ladies you know what I’m talking about), I arrived up the stairs from the subway station to see a scarcity of white tents and really no one around. Was I the idiot that treked to the farmer’s market for a bunch of carrots? Yep.

Might as well stroll around the market and see what else they had since I was already wet. There were mounds. Ok barrels of snap peas that I couldn’t resist. So I bought just enough snap peas for this dish remembering the cashier’s dirty look gleaming right at me because all I had was a twenty.

I had some leftover scallions from a prior trip to the farmer’s market that were still sitting in the fridge. Without letting them go to waste. they made a perfect addition to this dish.

This is a redo from an old post that I did like a year ago. Obviously the photos were no good, but most importantly, the recipe itself needed updating. It’s crazy how what you eat and how you cook can evolve and change over time…from using more fresh herbs to seasonal vegetables to supporting local farms. This dish really celebrates spring. The produce of spring.

The chicken is stuffed with fresh herbs tucked underneath its skin to keep it moist and full of flavor. Don’t skip out on the fennel seed. It adds a depth of flavor that takes the chicken from ordinary to something special. The vegetables are simply sauteed with salt and pepper. The meaty mushrooms flavor the broth. A simple dish to let the vegetables’ flavors stand on their own.

Herbed Chicken with Spring Vegetables
adapted from Giada’s Kitchen

Don’t skip out on the fennel seed. It adds a depth of flavor that takes the chicken from ordinary to something special.

serves 2

Ingredients
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 chicken breasts, boneless with skin
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
6 spring onions, trimmed (white and light green parts only)
1 small bunch rainbow carrots, trimmed and halved lengthwise
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup snap peas, trimmed and strings removed
1 portobello mushroom, stemmed and sliced

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a small bowl, add the parsley, thyme, garlic, fennel seeds, and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Stuff the herbed mixture underneath the chicken skin. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.

In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken skin-side face down. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes until skin is crispy and golden. Turn the chicken over and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Turn off the heat. Transfer the chicken to a baking dish skin side up. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until cooked through.

Meanwhile, using the same pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions and carrots. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally until slightly browned. Add the chicken broth and scrape any brown bits off the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the snap peas and mushrooms. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes until the vegetables are tender and the liquid has reduced. Serve with chicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Bing Cherry Yogurt Smoothie

Posted on June 11, 2013 by Lattes and Leggings

If you’ve been following this blog for awhile now, you probably know that I don’t own a blender. My kitchen has seen some pretty horrific scenes from the good ole blender. Liquid splattering all over the cabinet doors, purees that weren’t quite “pureed”, burning up the motor…you name it. So I just stick to the food processor. It juices, grates, purees…as long as no ice is involved, it can do just about anything, including this smoothie.

It’s June which means cherry season! There are different varieties of cherries, but bing cherries really stand out. They’re juicy, tart, and slightly sweet. They’re plump and oversized compared to the average cherry.

Dark chocolate adds an indulgent factor to this smoothie. I used a 72% cacao bar. As the smoothie blends, you will see bits of chocolate still present creating texture in the drink.

Tangy Greek yogurt is blended with the cherries and is the stand out flavor. This smoothie is filled with lots of protein from the yogurt and almond butter, giving you lots of energy to get you through the workday.

Honey naturally sweetens it up. The smoothie really needs it to balance out the tangy yogurt and sour cherry flavors. All in all, this is an indulgent smoothie, but still a great option for a healthy snack or dessert.

Bing Cherry Yogurt Smoothie

serves 1

Ingredients
1/2 cup bing cherries, pitted and stems removed
1/2 cup greek yogurt
1/2 cup almond milk
2 tablespoons chopped dark chocolate (72% cacao)
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon almond butter

Directions
In a blender or food processor, add the cherries, greek yogurt, almond milk, chocolate, honey, and almond butter. Cover and blend until smooth. There will still be bits of chocolate present in the mixture. Pour smoothie in a glass and garnish with a cherry on top.

Mussels with Spaghetti, Sun Dried Tomatoes, and Arugula

Posted on June 10, 2013 by Lattes and Leggings

Another seafood recipe so soon? It wasn’t my intention really. It’s just things haven’t been turning out in the kitchen lately. For instance, there was this fresh pea hummus that I had really high hopes for, but ended up being too much tahini, not enough lemon juice, and well…all in all just plain bland. No wow factor. Which leads us to mussels.

Pasta was on the mind, but not the tomato sauce kind. Instead, noodles soaked in white wine and shellfish flavors tossed with sun dried tomatoes and arugula. It’s light and a rather fast dish to make. It probably takes longer to clean the mussels than it does to actually make the dish.

I usually make this dish with clams. However, there isn’t a single mussels recipe on this blog. Plenty of clam options, but no mussels. The beauty of mussels is they are cleaned and cooked similar to clams, making this dish suitable for either shellfish.

The big question is how do you buy mussels? How do you select the right ones? Look at the individual shells. You want to make sure none are cracked or open. When you buy them, you want to cook them within a couple of days. Keep them on ice in the fridge. What happens is some of the shells will start to open sitting in the fridge if they aren’t cold enough. I bought a 2-pound bag with the intentions of only cooking 1 1/2 pounds because I knew that some would open or go bad in the fridge by the time I got around to cooking them. They are that delicate.

Your first thought might be to toss the spaghetti in a little lemon zest or lemon juice. It’s not necessary. This dish is perfect on its own to really let the flavors of the white wine broth and mussels shine through.

Mussels with Spaghetti, Sun Dried Tomatoes, and Arugula
adapted from Everyday Pasta

To clean the mussels, scrub them with an old toothbrush under cold running water to remove any dirt or sand. Debeard mussels by removing the thin fuzzy strip that runs along the shell opening. Not all mussels will have them. Discard any mussels that have opened or cracked shells. Only a small amount of pasta is added to this dish to really let the mussels shine through.

serves 2 to 4

Ingredients
1/4 pound whole wheat spaghetti
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 shallot, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, roughly chopped (packed in olive oil)
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 pounds of mussels, scrubbed and debearded
2 cups arugula
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook according to the package instructions. Drain the pasta.

In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until softened. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and cook for 1 minute. Add the wine and mussels. Cover with a tight fitted lid and cook for 5 to 7 minutes until mussels have opened. Turn off the heat. Discard any unopened shellfish.

Using tongs, transfer the mussels to a bowl. Add the spaghetti and arugula to the pan. Toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Add the mussels back to the pan. Heat the pan over medium-low heat to warm the pasta through and serve.