Easy Greek Supper

Try the following recipe for Greek-style Chicken on those evenings when you want something a bit sophisticated, but unfussy, for dinner.  Many of the ingredients are stock pantry items, so this is a dish I plan to use routinely for busy week nights.  The recipe was given to me by my Cali sister, Tammie Johnson, who can often be found whipping up a simple gourmet meal focused on fresh, seasonal ingredients.  I believe she based it loosely on a recipe card at Trader Joe's, so it's traveled a long way for your dining pleasure.  Thank you, Tam!

Note:  This dish received a THUMBS UP by the PROCESSED FOOD COALITION: Terry & the boys loved this dinner!  Terry said it was the best "healthy" dish that I had served and the boys ate seconds.  Progress, not perfection!  Right???

Greek- Style Chicken with Orzo

Ingredients:

Olive Oil Cooking Spray

1 lb Skinless, Boneless Chicken Breast cut into bit-size pieces (uniform size for even cooking)
8 oz Orzo pasta, cooked al denté (preferably cooked in chicken broth or bouillon added to cooking water)

1 Onion, chopped

1 clove Garlic, minced or put through a press
4 oz Chopped Sun-dried Tomatoes, packed in Oil (undrained)
Salt and Pepper to taste (preferably white pepper)
1 ts dried Oregano
1/2 ts dried Basil
8 oz Mushrooms, sliced (I used baby bella mushrooms, but any kind will do)
8 oz Spinach, stemmed and sliced in thin strips
Feta Cheese
2 oz (1/4 cup) Pine Nuts, Toasted (single layer in baking pan at 350˚ for 5 minutes)

Instructions:

Spray a skillet generously with olive oil and brown the chicken on medium high heat.  Once all sides are browned, reduce the heat to medium, cover and cook until no longer pink.  Remove the chicken from the skillet.  Spray the skillet again with olive oil.  Sauté the onions and garlic until the onions are softened, about 3-5 minutes.  Add the mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes (with a little of the oil), herbs, salt and pepper and cook about ten minutes over medium heat, covered but stirring frequently, for about 10-15 minutes. Add the cooked chicken and spinach, stir ingredients and heat only until the spinach begins to wilt, about 1-2 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Serve with orzo and sprinkle each serving with feta cheese and toasted pine nuts.

Warm Up With Tender Beef Stew

When the days begin to cool and the darkness of night comes early, I love to get cozy with a bowl of warm, nutritious goodness such as stew, chili con carne or hearty soup.  It stirs old memories of comforting bowls of chicken noodle soup lovingly served during childhood.  Of course, it's not quite the same when you have to make it for yourself, but it's a lovely feeling to know you are providing a nurturing meal and memory for your family or friends. 

The following stew is easy, but does take a bit more time since the root vegetables are roasted prior to adding to the stew.  However, it is worth the effort!  Roasting with a little olive oil deepens the complex flavors of the carrots, onions and parsnips.  Cook the stew slowly for exceptionally tender beef and rich broth.  I like to add swiss chard, but any greens would work or leave them out if you prefer.  Moms will be especially pleased when the kiddies devour this meal with nary a complaint about veggies.  Serve simply with crusty bread and a glass of dry red wine.  True comfort food!

Beef Stew with Roasted Root Vegetables & Barley

Ingredients:

4 carrots, peeled & cut cut into 1-inch chunks

2 parsnips, peeled & cut into 1-inch chunks

1 TB sugar

2 onions, chopped

1 TB chopped fresh or 1 ts dried thyme

1 1/2 lbs of lean beef (I like sirloin), cut into 1-inch chunks

3 garlic cloves, minced

6 cups beef broth

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup barley,rinsed (if using quick-cooking variety, add in step 7)

1 package (8oz) mushrooms

1 bunch of swiss chard, stems removed and chopped, leaves rolled lengthwise and thinly sliced

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.  Spray shallow baking pan with cooking spray.

2. Spread carrots and onion in the pan.

3.  Put parsnips in a small bowl, spray lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with the sugar.  Toss to coat and spread in pan. 

4.  Spray all veggies with olive oil and sprinkle with thyme.  Toss to coat and spread in a single layer in pan.  Roast, stirring once or twice, until veggies are browned & crisp tender, about 30 minutes.

5.  Meanwhile, spray dutch oven with cooking spray and place over medium-high heat.  Cook the beef, in batches, until all sides are browned.  Transfer beef to plate.

6.  Saute the garlic for about 1 minute and then return the beef to dutch oven.  Add broth, barley, salt and pepper and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes.

7.  Stir in the mushrooms and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer,covered, for about 15 minutes.  Stir in roasted veggies and swiss chard and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until beef and barley are very tender, about 15 minutes (will vary depending on cut of meat).

Veggie Plays Hard to Get

Today was the day.  As I strolled through the grocery store this morning (while most of you were still snug in bed), I decided to take the plunge.  After my initial shock over its waxy and blatantly unattractive appearance, I found the rutabaga that was destined for my roasting pan.  Paring and chopping that ungainly sphere of fiber proved to be more challenging than I'd anticipated, but I fought the good fight.  As you can see from my dinner pic above, the rutabaga was soundly defeated, then peeled, cubed and roasted with a pan full of more docile root vegetables.   All in all, I give rutabagas... a thumb down.  But don't take my word for it, as rutabagas could very well be the vegetable of your dreams. 

The menu: simple grilled chicken & roasted root vegetables with balsamic vinaigrette.  This meal would have paired nicely with a barley or brown rice pilaf.  My sons would have greatly appreciated some warm, familiar rice with their chicken and... rutabaga. 

I have only included the recipe for the roasted veggies.  If you need an easy grilled chicken recipe, leave a comment to this post.  Enjoy!

Roasted Root Vegetables with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

• 4 medium red-skin potatoes, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 large onion, cut into eighths (red adds a nice color, but any type will work)
• 1 rutabaga, pared & cut into 1-inch chunks
• 2 cups baby carrots, whole
• 1 ts sugar
• 1/4 cup olive oil, plus 2 TB
• 2 TB balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley
• 1 ts dried thyme
• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Spray baking sheet with olive oil.

Add the chopped rutabaga to a large mixing bowl, sprinkle with sugar and toss to coat.  Add the potatoes, carrots and onions to the bowl.  Stir in 1/4 cup olive oil, salt and pepper.  Toss to coat.  Spread vegetables evenly on the prepared baking sheet. 

Bake in prepared oven for 40-50 minutes (could be longer depending on your oven).  Stir the vegetables every 15 minutes to prevent sticking and check for tenderness.  When veggies are tender, increase heat to 500 degrees for about 5-10 minutes (watch closely to prevent scorching) so the veggies begin to brown nicely.  Meanwhile, combine 2 TB oil, balsamic vinegar, parsley and thyme in a small bowl and whisk together. 

When veggies are browned, remove from the oven and add back to the mixing bowl or a serving bowl.  Dress with the vinaigrette and toss to coat evenly.  Serve warm.  8 servings 

Notes: After preparing, I have added sugar to this recipe and believe it will cut any bitterness from the rutabaga.  If you aren't feeling reassured, substitute cubed butternut squash or pumpkin in place of the rutabaga.  In fact, this recipe will work for lots of veggies, but stick with combinations that have similar roasting times. 

Fun & Food at the Chattanooga Market

I can't think of a better way to spend a balmy, Sunday afternoon than to enjoy the fine folks and products at an open-air Farmer's Market.  My sister, Kelly, and I strolled through the Chattanooga Market this afternoon to see what local farmers and food artisans produced this past week.  As we approached the 1st Tennessee Pavilion, the air was heavy with the most heavenly scent that quickened my step as I began sniffing out the source like some hound dog!  (Not one of my prouder moments, but there you go!)  The buttery sweet odor was coming from a large, old-fashioned kettle, where the friendly purveyor was popping kettle corn for a salivating crowd.  Fortunately, Kelly was able to drag me past the kettle corn to view the real treasures!

We were delighted to have lots of veggies and fruits from which to choose, along with sustainably-raised meats & eggs, bakery goods and prepared delicacies. Even this late in the year, there were many varieties of heirloom tomatoes and bell peppers.  The freshly-plucked radishes looked like a bouquet of brightly colored flowers, which I can never resist.  Golden Delicious and Pink Lady were among the apple varieties offered.  I was disappointed to miss the oyster mushrooms, which sold out early in the day.  However, I managed to score a dozen free-range eggs that I plan to use for a simple omelet supper on one of our busy nights.  For a taste of the bounty, see the pics below.  Enjoy!

 If you want to get the best food products and support local farming and other food-producing families, check out the local farmer's markets in your area. With live music, tasty local fare, artists and crafts people, the Chattanooga Market is a fun weekly outing for your whole family!  http://www.chattanoogamarket.org/



Gorgeous Heirloom Tomatoes



These colorful radishes are mine, mine, mine!

Lots of fresh-baked goodies to sample courtesy of Bluff View Art District.

Red Delicious Apples

The hand isn't real... or at least it wasn't attached to a body!

Prepared Jams, Relishes, Salsas, etc.

Omelets for this week.

Pink Heirloom Tomatoes

Hydroponic Greens

Fig Tree... still kicking myself for not buying it.

Happy Halloween!

Let's Get Cooking!

I love autumn or "the fall of the year" as my adorable brother-in-law likes to say!  In Chattanooga, we still have some of the yummy late summer produce available and a plethora of fall choices.  It's a great time to begin our culinary journey because if you're like me, you've never tasted some of the fall vegetables listed below.  Sunchoke anyone???  I am feeling courageous and ready to boldly go forth in search of strange new vegetables...

But not tonight!  This evening's dinner recipe is fairly tame though delightfully tasty and easy.  For those of you with the joyful duty of feeding picky eaters, I didn't get too much complaining from my crew of meat-and-potato fans.  (The operative phrase here is "too much").  It takes a while to re-educate the palate and in the meantime you may experience unexpected cravings for boxed macaroni and cheese or another packaged comfort food.  Overcome those primal urges by rolling up your sleeves, sharpening your knives and taking out your frustrations on an innocent squash.  (Chopping is therapeutic, I promise!)  Let me know how you fared and if you enjoyed this simple vegetable stew as much as I did! 

Turkish Vegetable Stew with Israeli Couscous

Adapted from WeightWatchers.com

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Israeli couscous or regular couscous (I used whole-grain Israeli couscous)
• 1 TB olive oil, divided
• 1 medium eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 medium zucchini or crook-neck squash, cut in half lengthwise and sliced into 1/2-inch thick slices
• 1 medium bell pepper (yellow or red adds color)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 15 oz can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
• 14 1/2 oz can diced tomatoes in juices
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 ts cumin
• 1 ts salt (or a lot more if you're like me)
• 1/2 ts black pepper (I prefer white pepper for cooking and finishing with fresh-ground black)
• 1/2 cup green onions/ scallions, sliced (incl. white and green parts)
• 1/3 fresh dill
• 1/2 cup of crumbled feta cheese (I use the reduced-fat variety)

Instructions:

To make couscous, bring 1 3/4 cups water to boil in a medium saucepan; add couscous.  Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until couscous is tender and liquid is absorbed; about 12 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in 1 teaspoon of oil.  (If using packaged couscous, follow box directions).

Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 teaspoons of oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add eggplant and garlic; cook, stirring often until lightly browned, about 3 minutes.  Add zucchini and bell pepper; cook, stirring often, until veggies are crisp tender, about 5 minutes. 

Stir in garbanzo beans, tomatoes, water, cumin, salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer until veggies are just tender, about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in scallions and dill.

Serve on top of couscous and sprinkle with feta cheese.  **Delicious with pita bread warmed in foil and served with olive oil, melted butter or prepared hummus for dipping.  (Offer lots of pita...I found this is a foolproof way to sooth the savage beasts who believe veggies are not meant to be consumed by humans).  Enjoy!!!