Lemon Garlic Asparagus and Chicken Pasta

Yum

Who needs a quick 30 minutes meal to make this week?

I know I do!  Everyone is eating healthier at the beginning of the year and our household is no exception.  We're trying to lighten up after the holiday indulgences.  I'm sure you know what I mean.  Dessert, cookies, pies, holiday stuffing and yummy food everywhere!  

So today we're talking pasta.  I love pasta, but not the carbs so much.  So switching to a pasta that is high in fiber, or higher in protein or multi-grain was a no-brainer for me.  We've been eating this type of pasta, including whole wheat pasta (trader joes's rocks!) for a few year now.  We find that they are better for you if you are going to eat carbs.  So let's make a quick and healthy pasta dish that done in 30 minutes, so it's weeknight perfect!

Choose your favorite healthier pasta for the dish.  I chose a white fiber rotini but any shape will do.  Lots of pastas are laden with heavy and/or fattening sauces, but not this one!  A small amount of butter and garlic along with some starchy cooking water is all you need for the base of this sauce.  Add in some flavoring such as lemon and you have one tasty sauce that's light in calories.  No heavy cream here!  Don't forget to add some vegetables for an extra healthy kick.  I chose asparagus which we love.  It's makes the perfect springtime meal, and the vegetable will be cheaper then as well.  For now you can use green beans or broccoli or splurge on the asparagus that's available now.

To give this dish a little more protein I added some sliced and cooked chicken breast.  I typically roast or grill extra when I'm cooking them so I have extras to throw in a salad, or pasta during the week.  Great to have on hand.  You could also use a rotisserie chicken if you choose.

What do I need to make this?  I use a good stock pot like this one, for my pasta and veggies.  I also use a heavy stainless steel skillet such as this one for pulling it all together.  A good strainer, mesh spoon, and some tongs and/or wooden spoons, and you are all set!

This dish comes to very quickly.  Dinner will be on the table in 30 minutes or less.  Enjoy a lemony bright and healthy pasta dish filled with asparagus and chicken any day of the week.

Enjoy!






Lemon Garlic Asparagus Chicken and Pasta

serves 4

8 oz. pasta rotini (white fiber or protein plus)
1 bunch asparagus 
2 Tbsp butter 
2 cloves garlic, minced 
1 large chicken breast, cooked and sliced
1 lemon
Salt and Pepper to taste 

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. Add pasta and continue to boil until the pasta is al dente about 9 minutes.

Meanwhile remove the woody bottoms of the asparagus stems. Chop the remaining asparagus into 1-inch pieces.   Add the asparagus pieces to the boiling pasta the last two minutes of cooking,  Cook until they are bright green and have become slightly tender.  

Reserve 1/2 cup of the starchy cooking water, then scoop out the asparagus and place in a skillet.  Drain the pasta and set aside. 

Add the butter and minced garlic to the skillet with the asparagus and place it over medium heat. Sauté for about two minutes more, or until the garlic becomes soft and fragrant. Turn the heat to low. 

Add the pasta to the skillet and toss coated with garlic butter. Add the sliced chicken and toss to coat.  Add salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste.  Zest the lemon and add the zest to the skillet.  Add the juice of the lemon to the dish and stir to combine.  If dry add some of the cooking water to loosen up the sauce making sure all ingredients are coated.   Serve.

adapted from: Budget Bytes

This post contains affiliate links to items you can purchase, in which I get a small amount of compensation for at no cost to you. I bring you items that I actually use that are of great quality that I can pass along suggestions to you.

Garlic and Parmesan Crispy Oven Fried Chicken

Yum

Ever wonder how to get really, I mean REALLY crispy chicken in the oven?

Boy, I have a foolproof method to share with you today.  This recipe produces the crispiest oven-fried chicken you will ever make, straight from the oven.

The secret is in the method, so make sure you don't skip a step to ensure that extra crispy crust!  A few special ingredients ensure that crispy crust.

First off, you'll need a screaming hot baking sheet.  You just heat this up while the oven is preheating.  Then you melt butter on this sheet to cover it and provide a base for the chicken to cook.  It's really like frying in the oven with less fat.

Next you need to make sure to add breadcrumbs, and baking powder to you flour dredging mixture.  This gives the coating some lightness and plumpness while frying in the oven.

Beyond that these are prepared like your classic chicken strips.  The result though is a fabulous Garlic and Parmesan Crispy Oven Fried Chicken that will knock your socks off!  Kids will cry for more, so make a big batch, because they go fast!  Oh! and don't forget to serve it with a homemade ranch dip.

Enjoy!








Garlic and Parmesan Crispy Oven Fried Chicken

Serves: 6  

Ingredients

2 eggs
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 cup flour
⅔ cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 tablespoon bread crumbs
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon salt 
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 pounds chicken tenders
3 Tablespoons butter

Preheat the oven to 420°F.  Place a large baking sheet in the oven to heat.

In a pie pan or dish whisk together the eggs and the buttermilk.

In another pie pan or dish mix together the flour, Parmesan, breadcrumbs, baking powder and all spices through the black pepper together.  Mix to combine well.

Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour mixture, shaking off any excess.  Then dip the pieces into the egg mixture turning to coat.  Place the chicken pieces back into the flour mixture coating well.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven (careful, it's hot!)  Place the butter on the hot sheet and allow to melt.  Spread to coat.

Place chicken pieces on the baking sheet.  Bake for 10-12 minutes.  Remove from the oven and flip the pieces over.  Return to the oven and bake for another 5-8 minutes, or until completely cooked and golden brown.  If needed you can broil the pieces to deepen the browning for a few minutes.  

Garlic Chicken Stir Fry

Yum

Whenever I need a quick dinner I turn to stir frys. As you may know, this seems to be quite often as I have a lot of stir frys on the blog! A lot of which you all seems to love such as Spicy Beef, Snow Peas, Mushroom, and Carrot Stir Fry, Chicken, Green Bean & Mushroom Stir Fry, and Caribbean Pork Stir Fry.

We recently moved to a new home and in the midst of unpacking we needed to stop and have dinner. The nerve, having to eat during the middle of unpacking! LOL!  So I turned to the refrigerator and found some chicken breasts just begging to be turned into a fabulous meal.

Using vegetables that I already had, mushrooms and broccoli, made the ingredient list. Now for a sauce. A simple use of garlic sounded really good and easy to pull together with pantry items, so Garlic Chicken Stir Fry was born!

GARLIC CHICKEN STIR FRY

This dish is perfect for a weeknight meal when you want to make something quick.  20 minutes is all you need to have a great meal on the table that is 1000x better than take out!  If you make stir frys then you will most likely have all the ingredients on hand.  I love being able to pull together stir frys in a snap, changing up the vegetables and sauce.  Have a stocked pantry makes this really east to accomplish.

Juicy tender chicken breast chunks are browned and coupled with crisp vegetables, and cashews.  All of this is then bathed in a warm garlic sauce that flavors all the ingredients and brings this all together.

Enjoy!

Note: Shared on The Country Cook's Weekend Potluck

Garlic Chicken Stir Fry

serves 4

1 lb chicken breasts cut into bite size chunks
1/3 cup cornstarch
2 Tbls canola oil
8 oz baby bella mushrooms, sliced
small head of broccoli, stemmed and cut into florets
1/3 cup whole cashews
4 cloves of garlic, minced

¾ cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons cornstarch

hot cooked rice

On a plate toss the chicken with the cornstarch.

In a small bowl, add the chicken broth, soy sauce, sesame oil, and cornstarch.  Stir until well combined.  Set aside.

Heat the canola oil in a large skillet.  Add the chicken and cook on medium-high until browned on all sides, about 2-3 minutes on each side.  Remove chicken from the pan to a plate, and turn the heat up to high.

Add in the mushrooms and cook until they start to brown.  Add the broccoli and allow to cook 2-3 minutes more. Add the cashews and stir and cook until lightly toasted.  Add the garlic and cook/stir for 30 seconds.

Return the chicken and any juices back to the skillet.  Add the sauce and toss to coat.  Serve with hot cooked rice.

Lemon Garlic Herb Chicken and Beef Kabobs with Roasted Veggies

Yum

We're having a wonderful Spring so far and the weather is wonderful.  Taking advantage of the semi-hot days and the cooler evenings, it's time to break out the grill!  We just love kabobs and we both love beef and chicken.  So why pick when you can have both.

Today's recipe is all about basting sauce.  Don't get me wrong the chicken and beef are stars in itself but this lemon, garlic, and herb basting sauce just takes this over the top!  I love anything with lemon on it, but this combination is one of the best.  Why have plain old meat when you can jazz it up with flavors that carry a punch?  Can't think of any reason...

We decided to fire up the grill and make "all meat" kabobs and roast the veggies in the oven.  MGG also wanted Roasted Cauliflower and Tahini Sauce as well so it was easier to just roast all the veggies at once instead of mixing them with the protein on the kabobs.  Not to worry though, the veggies got a good douse of the basting sauce as well, so they came out sizzling and delishhhh!

LEMON GARLIC HERB CHICKEN AND BEEF KABOBS

We used summer squash (yellow squash) and zucchini as the veggies.  Boneless chicken breasts were cubed and threaded onto skewers, and for the beef we used sirloin steak that was cubed as well and threaded onto skewers.

While the veggies were roasting in the oven MGG grilled the meat outside, rotating the meat and dousing them with this wonderful basting sauce.  The smell of garlic, and the tang of lemon, and the savory taste of the herbs is heaven.  This was definitely a favorite meal.  One that we will repeat over and over this summer!

Your whole family will love this easy to pull together meal, I promise.

Enjoy!





Lemon Garlic Herb Chicken and Beef Kabobs with Roasted Veggies

Kabobs:

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed

1 lb sirloin steak, fat removed, and cubed

bamboo skewers

Roasted Vegetables:

2 Summer Squash, cut lengthwise and sliced in big chunks

2 Zucchini, cut lengthwise and slice in big chunks

Marinade/Basting Sauce:
1½ tablespoons finely minced garlic
1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 - 1/3 cup minced fresh herbs, I used a mix of oregano and thyme

1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Soak your bamboo skewers in water for at least 30 minutes to prevent burning.

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

In a small bowl combine the garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, herbs, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Remove 3 tablespoons to a small bowl and set aside.  The larger bowl will be for basting the meat on the grill. 

Thread the chicken breasts onto skewers leaving a small amount of space between them.  Do the same with the steak.  Make sure to cook them on separate skewers as the chicken and beef cook at different rates. Set aside.  Preheat the grill to medium high.

Place the chopped vegetables in a bowl and pour the 3 tablespoons over them, tossing to coat.  Spread the veggies on a baking sheet in an even layer.  Place in the preheated oven and cook for 15 minutes.  Take the veggies out and turn them over and place them back in the oven for another 10-15 minutes until golden brown.  Make sure to watch them so they don't burn.

Meanwhile, on a preheated grill the chicken first turning after 5-6 minutes.  Place the beef on shortly after and turn after 5 minutes for medium.  When you turn both meats, use the basting sauce and give this side a good dousing.  Grill chicken another 5-6 minutes, turning and basting.  Grill the steak to your desired degree of doneness, turning and basting all sides.  Remove from the grill and place on a platter.

Remove vegetables from the oven and arrange on the platter with the kabobs.  Serve with sliced lemons.

Damn Good Garlic Roasted Potatoes

Yum

I grew up on meat and potatoes. 

Potatoes were a staple in our house and Mom made them all different ways.  I remember her teaching me how to make French fries, the fried kind in a cast iron skillet.  We made them all the time to go with Burgers and Hot Dogs, Steaks, and just because.   Oh how I love potatoes!

I still have that cast iron skillet we made the French fries in but these days it's used for other things and my French fries and baked in the oven!  Such a healthier approach to cooking potatoes, don't you think?  Plus roasted potatoes are outrageously good! 

So say you want to make my Jack Daniel's Whiskey Marinated Flank Steak and want a great side dish.  How about Damn Good Garlic Roasted Potatoes?  Oh yes please!  They are the perfect side dish to any beef, chicken, or pork dish.  If you are a garlic lover then these are made for you.  Not 1 but 2 types of garlic are used in this dish to give it that intensely garlicky flavor.  One is garlic powder and the other is a garlic infused olive oil.  I have to tell you these are sizzling good potatoes that taste like fries.

DAMN GOOD GARLIC ROASTED POTATOES

They roast at a high temperature to give you a crispy outside and tender inside.  They are so good that I never make the "fried" fries anymore.  I found I like these just as well and don't miss the fat that goes along with frying.  You'll love them too.  Try them today!

Enjoy!




Kitchen Note:  This recipe uses Garlic Infused Olive Oil.  I've made mine and included instructions below, or you can purchase it.  Other uses for it are over steamed vegetables, in salad dressings, use to sauté chicken or toss with pasta.




Damn Good Garlic Roasted Potatoes

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 large russet potatoes

Garlic powder

Garlic infused Olive oil:

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 head garlic

Directions:

To make the Garlic infused Olive oil:  Smash and peel cloves of garlic. Transfer to a medium pot, add olive oil, and heat over medium-low heat until bubbles form around garlic, about 3 minutes. Cook for 10 minutes, on low so the garlic does not brown to much.  Remove from heat and let cool about 45 minutes.  Store in a sealed tight jar.

For the potatoes:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Peel potatoes, cut into planks lengthwise.  Cut each plank into long fries.

Place fries on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Just enough to lightly coat.  Toss fries in oil.

Separate fries out on the pan so they are not touching.

Sprinkle with garlic powder.

Bake at 450 degrees for 15 min.  Take fries out and turn them over so they brown on the other side. Return to oven and bake another 10-15 min. until crispy.

Simple Garlic Cheese Bread

Yum

Confession:  I LOVE BREAD!

That has been a tagline that Oprah has used lately and the truth is that I do love bread too.  I couldn't imagine not having bread ever again.

There isn't anything better than pulling hot bread out of the oven, especially if it is slathered in butter, garlic and a little cheese, don't you think?  I love to serve this Simple Garlic Cheese Bread with pastas, soups, stews, and just about any type of steak.  Let's face it....even alone this bread is satisfying and a welcome treat.

Today's recipe is really simple and one that the whole family is sure to love.  Make this Simple Garlic Cheese Bread tonight.

Enjoy!

Simple Garlic Cheese Bread

1 loaf French bread
1/4 cup salted butter, softened
1 T minced garlic, or 1 tsp granulated garlic
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/3 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
1 T parsley, chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Slice loaf in half lengthwise.  Spread softened butter over both halves.  Sprinkle garlic over each slice.  Wrap in aluminum foil, place on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and unwrap foil.  Sprinkle cheese evenly over each half.  Turn oven to broil.  Return the bread to the oven and broil for 3-4 minutes or until cheese is melted and edges are starting to brown.  Sprinkle with parsley and cut each halve into slices.