Sheet Pan Mediterranean Lemon Parmesan Chicken and Vegetables

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A whole meal cooked on one baking sheet!  Quick and easy to assemble, and extremely flavorful. Sheet pans are the new "One Pot" cooking method and it's ingenious!

When life gets busy who doesn't love a quick and easy meal?  By using your oven and a sheet pan you can create a fabulous dinner in a snap!  One that your entire family will love. I often turn to stir frys but roasting in the oven is just as easy and healthy to boot.   Everything is cooked on the same pan which makes life a breeze.  And speaking of breeze, the clean up....simple - one and done!

So there is a craze that I'm sure you've noticed about sheet pan cooking.  Recipes are everywhere right now.  Even my favorite local teaching chef recently made a delicious chicken searing on a sheet pan, (recipe coming soon) and with good reason too.  They are simple to make, they allow you to cook the main and side dishes together and they are healthier for you!  I've even joined in with a previous post for Simple Citrus Herb Chicken and Tomatoes.

This recipe takes a little bit of prep for the chicken, (coating in bread crumbs) but uses ingredients that I always have on hand, such and lemons (we eat a lot of dishes with lemons...) and vegetables like mushrooms, cherry tomatoes and zucchini.  These are staples in our house and lend the Mediterranean flavors to the meal.  The chicken and vegetables are able to cook at the same time because I used thin cut chicken breasts which take no time to roast, and the vegetables are soft and take the same cooking time.  If you wanted to use carrots, potatoes, or other (harder) vegetables you will have different cooking times and will need to start those first then add the chicken after 15 minutes and continue on.

By roasting the chicken it stays nice and tender while the vegetables caramelize and crisp, especially when those tomatoes start to burst...oh boy!  It makes my mouth water thinking about it.  The best part is a great meal with little effort.  Perfect for a weeknight. 

Enjoy!


TIPS FOR COOKING THIS SHEET PAN MEDITERRANEAN LEMON PARMESAN CHICKEN AND VEGETABLES:

• Use a LARGE sheet pan such as this one
• Use parchment paper for easy clean up
• Buy thin cut chicken breasts, or slice a regular breast in half lengthwise
• Try and find a lemon pepper that does not contain salt - I use this one here

Sheet Pan Mediterranean Lemon Parmesan Chicken and Vegetables

serves 4

4 thin cut boneless skinless chicken breasts        

1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 lemons, separated
2 tsp garlic, minced 
5 Tbls butter, melted
1 tablespoon lemon pepper seasoning

1 pint cherry tomatoes

1 large zucchini, cut lengthwise and then into slices

8 oz of baby bella mushrooms, cut into quarters
2 tablespoons olive oil
Garnish: fresh chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  If desired, place parchment paper on a large sheet pan with edges.

Add flour to a pie pan.  Add bread crumbs, Parmesan and garlic powder to another pie pan and stir to combine.  To a third pie pan add the zest and juice of 1 lemon, minced garlic, and melted butter. 

Dredge chicken in flour, then dip in the lemon butter mixture, then coat in the bread crumb mixture.  Place on prepared sheet pan.  Sprinkle lemon pepper seasoning over the chicken. 

Place cherry tomatoes, sliced zucchini, and mushrooms around the chicken.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle lemon pepper seasoning on top.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and turn chicken over, sprinkle this side with lemon pepper seasoning.  Place 4 slices of lemon (from the remaining lemon) on top of the chicken.  Return to oven to bake an additional 10-15 minutes or until chicken reaches 165 degrees internally and is golden brown.  Vegetables should be soft and roasted and tomatoes should be bursting open.

Remove from the oven, sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley and plate.  Serve.

Greek Style Stuffed Tomatoes

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Late summer tomatoes are still everywhere you look this time of year. If you grown your own you may have such an abundance, you might run out of ways to use them into your menus. Some of my favorite ways are stuffed, roasted, grilled, or pureed into wonderful recipes.

Have you ever stuffed a tomato?  The cute little goat cheese stuffed cherry tomatoes are perfect appetizers for a holiday party.  Today's Greek Style Stuffed Tomatoes are anything but boring.  These beauties are big, seasonal freshness with a new spin on the prep of a tomato.  These are just brimming with fresh ingredients and are loaded with bright flavors from Greece.  

I prepare tomatoes in so many ways like my Tomato Tabbouleh Salad or I'll freeze them as in my Big Batch Marinara Sauce.  Search tomatoes in the search bar to the right to see all my great recipes using this staple.

Greek Style Stuffed Tomatoes - A perfect side dish

Some associate tomatoes with summer, and don't get me wrong, this dish is a great light and fresh summer side dish.  However, tomatoes are still in season even though it is October.  This side dish is perfect along a nice grilled chicken or served along a chicken pita pocket for lunch.  It goes with so many dishes that you will love it's versatility.  You could even make these in cherry tomatoes as appetizers.  The burst of fresh lemon and herbs will have your guests talking about these for days.

Enjoy!






Greek Style Stuffed Tomatoes

Makes 6 servings


6 large beefsteak or vine tomatoes
Salt and black pepper to taste
Minced zest of 1 lemon
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp. honey
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups stemmed and coarsely chopped fresh baby spinach
1 cup cooked white rice, cooled
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup minced fresh mint
Lemon wedges

Slice the tops off of the tomatoes.  Scrape out the pulp from the insides using a small spoon or melon baller.  Discard pulp.  Season the inside of tomatoes with salt and pepper.

In a small bowl whisk together zest, lemon juice, oil, honey, Dijon, and garlic. Season vinaigrette with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Toss spinach, rice, feta, onion, and mint with vinaigrette, then divide and stuff into tomatoes; serve with lemon wedges.

source:  Issue 118 Cuisine at Home Magazine

One Pot Tortellini with Sausage and Spinach in a Tomato Basil Sauce

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Do you ever get a craving for something that you think is strange?

Well I do.  Every now and then I crave marinara sauce, or meat sauce.  Any red Italian sauce actually.  I know, I think it's strange too.  It's not the pasta that I'm craving (although who doesn't crave pasta!) but it's actually the sauce.  I know this because I can have a delicious chicken Parmesan dripping with marinara and be perfectly satisfied without any pasta.

So this 'red sauce' craving hit me big time over the long holiday weekend.  I mean I was rooting through my food on hand looking for anything I could make that a red sauce would go on.  I only had 1 can of diced tomatoes on hand!  How could that be???  I'm always stocked, but not on the day the craving hit.  Figures....but I did find a jar of a yummy tomato basil sauce in a jar that I had hidden away.  So it hit me that will make a variation of a one pot dish that I love, Ravioli Florentine which is a family favorite. 

Oh boy, no ravioli to be found in the frig or the freezer, but I did find some tortellini.  Bingo!  Substitution time, and with a few alterations on the original dish I came up with a winner!

Adding a nice Italian turkey sausage to the sauce gave it some body and wonderful spicy flavor.  The flavors of fresh basil add a fresh taste that jazzes it up.  Just look at this meaty sauce! 

All in one pot.  Don't you love that?  Plus the clean up is a breeze and I hate doing dishes!  This would work great as a weeknight meal as it can be done in 30 minutes.  So the result is we both loved it, and it satisfied my craving...until next time.

Enjoy!



One Pot Tortellini with Sausage and Spinach in a Tomato Basil Sauce

serves 4

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 lb turkey Italian sausage, casings removed (about 3 links)

1/2 (24 oz) jar tomato basil sauce

1 (14.5 oz) can finely diced tomatoes

1/4 cup water

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 (9 oz) pkg refrigerated cheese tortellini

2 cups packed fresh spinach, roughly chopped

salt & pepper to taste 

2 Tbsp basil, chopped

Heat olive oil in a large skillet medium heat. Add garlic and sauté 30 seconds then add sausage using a wooden spoon to break it into pieces as it browns.  Cook until it is cooked through, about 6-7 minutes.  

Add in tomato basil sauce, tomatoes, water, and seasoning and bring to a simmer. Add tortellini making sure they are covered in the sauce.  Cook on medium low about 10 minutes until pasta is tender.  Stir occasionally.  Add spinach and season with black pepper and salt if needed.   Cook several minutes until spinach has wilted.  Remove from heat and sprinkle with chopped basil.  

Greek Chicken Salad (2 Ways)

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Hi there!  I hope everyone had a wonderful Labor Day yesterday.

Phew!  I'm actually glad it's over.  We ate way too much carbs yesterday!  I wasn't my intention but little things kept sneaking in to the menu and they added another level of carbs to the menu.  I am so ready for a salad today.

SALAD TO THE RESCUE

salad #1

I did double duty yesterday while we were grilling a wonderful juicy steak and snuck on a couple of chicken breasts to grill for today's salad.  Love doing that. Today we are gravitating toward Greek flavors.  This Greek Chicken Salad can be served two different ways.  I like mine to be about the chicken and array of Mediterranean vegetables along side, all covered with a delicious vinaigrette.  MGG loves same but wants some sort of lettuce mixed in with his vegetables to make it fuller.  Same salad two ways!

salad #2

The flavors of the Mediterranean really shine in this salad.  The marinade doubles as a salad dressing which makes things easy, and the lemon and oregano flavors pop in your mouth!  The chicken comes out juicy and so tasty and is perfect next to the cucumber, tomato salad mixture.  If you like olive, throw them in.  This is a versatile salad. 

It's hearty and easy to make.  Again, you can cook the chicken ahead and throw this together in no time at all.  Overall it's a great 30  minutes meal that you could make any weeknight. 

So Greek Chicken Salad is saving the day today, with a great low carb meal.

Enjoy!

Greek Chicken Salad (2 Ways)

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

2 large skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut in half to make four cutlets

4 Pita Bread, cut into eighths

Tazatziki (store bought)

Marinade / Dressing:

¼ cup olive oil

juice of 1 lemon  ( 2-3 Tablespoons )
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon salt

Fresh ground black pepper

For Salad #1:

3 Persian or 1 English cucumber, halved lengthways and sliced thick

1 pint cherry tomatoes (I used orange and red)

1 orange bell pepper, sliced into strips

½ red onion, sliced thinly

1/4 c Feta cheese, crumbled

For Salad #2:
1/2 head of romaine or red leaf lettuce, torn
all other ingredients listed in Salad #1

Whisk together all the marinade / dressing ingredients in large, shallow dish. Pour out ⅓ cup to use as the dressing; reserve in the refrigerator for later.

Add the chicken to the marinade and evenly coat; cover and allow to marinade for 30 minutes to 1 hour. 

To a large bowl, add all vegetables and toss.  Set aside.   

Heat a outdoor grill to medium-high heat.  Add chicken, discarding the marinade to the grill.  Cook 5-6 minutes per side until cooked through (180 degrees) Remove from the grill and allow to rest 5 minutes.  Slice the chicken and arrange on plates.  Add dressing to the salad and toss.  Sprinkle with feta cheese.  Add salad to the side of the  chicken and add several pieces of pita bread to each plate.   Drizzle with any remaining dressing and serve with the tzatziki.

adapted from Café Delites

Cucumber, Tomato, and Avocado Salad

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-This simple salad uses the freshest ingredients for a flavor mix that will pop in your mouth!-

I do love a fancy salad, but a lot of the time I prefer simpler recipes that aren’t a lot of trouble.  A honeycrisp apple and romaine salad is awesome, but I’m happiest when you give me a simply fresh salad that I can throw together easily and still get oohs and aahs out of MGG and my friends.  (This Caribbean Chicken Salad may be an exception though...!)

Plus, if you have to travel with this salad it's guaranteed to arrive beautifully, and not look like it fell in the floorboard of the back seat of your car!  This simple and fresh salad looks beautiful no matter how it lands!

EASY CUCUMBER, TOMATO, AND AVOCADO SALAD TO THE RESCUE
If you need a versatile, yet simple salad recipe, that goes well with everything from steak to hot dogs then this Cucumber, Tomato, and Avocado Salad is the one for you.  It's a completely fresh and juicy salad with accents of rich buttery avocado for good measure.  It's satisfying and healthy, offering a multitude of vitamins, anti-inflammatory properties, and healthy fats.

This is a great fresh salad that will keep well in the refrigerator for several days.  This delightful salad easily pairs with burgers, chicken, fish, or steak.  It's versatility makes it the perfect go to salad of the summer.  Not to mention that people will just flip over this salad and quickly ask you for the recipe!

Did I mention that it's easy to put together?  Well it is.  A large serving bowl is all that's needed, so you save on dishes.  The vegetables are chopped in larger chunks making the prep work go fast.  Adding some salt & pepper and a drizzle of really good olive oil tops this easy-peasy salad off.    You can't mess up and you can't go wrong with this salad.

Enjoy!



Cucumber, Tomato, and Avocado Salad

1 English cucumber
3 Roma tomatoes
3 avocados
1/4 red onion,
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
1 lemon
salt and pepper
Olive oil

Slice the cucumber into half lengthwise, then cut each half into medium to large slices.  Place in to a large bowl.  Cut the tomatoes in half lengthwise and then cut each half lengthwise again and cut into chunks.  Add to the bowl.   

Cut open avocados and remove the pits.  Peel skin off and cut lengthwise and then into chunks.   Add to the bowl.   Peel and slice the red onion into thin strips.  Add to the bowl.  Add the chopped cilantro to the bowl. 

Slice the lemon in half and drizzle the juice over the salad in the bowl.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.   Drizzle with olive oil until moist (about 1/4 cup) and stir to combine.  Serve.

Any leftover may be placed in an air-tight container and refrigerated for several days.

Sheet Pan Meal: Simple Citrus Herb Chicken and Tomatoes ( and a Product Review )

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Sometimes you just have to give in to it.

Give in to the pressure.  You know the one, using the oven in summer?  Yea, that pressure.  The other night I came home late from work and I was dog tired.  I did not want to stand over the stove or the grill cooking anything.  Nope not today.  So I gave in and cranked up the air conditioner and turned on the oven.  Sometimes you need a break like that and it's okay.  Truly, to save me some work in cooking dinner that night I would stand any extra heat the oven caused.

So with chicken breasts in the refrigerator I decided to make a sheet pan meal.  Love them!  You just throw everything on a large baking sheet pan and cook it all together.  This meal was particularly easy with just chicken and tomatoes.  Yum, golden chicken flavored with citrus and blistered cherry tomatoes bursting with flavor!  You could easily substitute chicken thighs, or pork or fish with this dish as well as changing up the vegetables.  It's all good and easy to put together.

For the chicken I used some help from my favorite store, Williams-Sonoma, by using the Williams-Sonoma Citrus Herb Rub.

It is a dry rub that you sprinkle over your protein and can also be used on vegetables, or mixed in with a salad dressing...yum!  Here is their promo for the rub:

The sweet-tart flavors of orange, lemon and lime mingle with jalapeño peppers for a Latin-inspired rub that brings gentle heat and mouthwatering flavor to everything from beef and pork to poultry and vegetables. The rub is blended with California garlic and Mexican oregano, and finished with pure citrus oils for an aromatic finish.

Ingredients:

California garlic, kosher salt, jalapeno pepper, cane sugar, crystallized orange (evaporated cane juice, citric acid, orange juice, orange oil, ascorbic acid [vitamin C]), lemon peel, cilantro, crystallized lemon (citric acid, evaporated cane juice, lemon oil, lemon juice, ascorbic acid [vitamin C]), crystallized lime (citric acid, evaporated cane juice, lime oil, ascorbic acid [vitamin C]), orange peel, citric acid, Mexican oregano, orange oil.

I always feel confident using Williams-Sonoma's products because of the ingredients.  You can read them...understand them, and they don't use all the chemical fillers/preservatives you find in most commercially produced spice blends.  You can purchase this rub at your local Williams-Sonoma store or online here.

So dinner was a success.  I mean look at this gorgeous meal.  I really must say this was the perfect seasoning for our chicken dinner.  It was light and citrusy and perfect for a light summer dish.  Oh, and the heat from the oven was totally worth it!

Enjoy!

Simple Citrus Herb Chicken and Tomatoes (a Sheet Pan Meal)

serves 4

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
citrus herb rub (Williams-Sonoma Brand)
olive oil
salt and pepper to season
2 pints of multi colored cherry tomatoes
cooked rice (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350°F Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper.

Drizzle olive oil on both sides of the chicken.  Sprinkle both sides liberally with rub.  Arrange the chicken breasts on the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the sheet pan and add the tomatoes around chicken.  Place back in the oven and cook another 15 minutes.  Turn on the broiler and broil meat and tomatoes to obtain a little char on it, about 4 minutes.

Serve each chicken breast with the tomatoes over cooked rice if desired.

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

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I think I've mentioned that MGG is a rabbit.

It's true.  He eats so much salad and veggies that I know he must have been a rabbit in another life.  He's even starting to look like a rabbit to me!  haha!

The other day "said rabbit" and I were walking through Costco and he picked up a container of Poki and a container of quinoa salad.  The poki is a favorite of his, but when I saw that quinoa salad and the price tag, I had to stop him there.   "But it tastes soooo good" he says.  "Yes honey, I know it does, but I can make it for you at home for a fraction of the cost and it will taste AWESOME!"  "Trust me...."

He grudgingly put it back and off we went.  Now I was under the gun to make a totally awesome quinoa salad that compares to the likes of Costco!  No problem.

I got to work in the kitchen while he looked over my shoulder to see what I was putting in it.  (Not as if I hadn't made quinoa salad before...sheesh!)  I think he was really counting on the lemony flavor of the Costco brand.  So I put a nice big lemon in front of him and put him to work zesting and juicing it.  That seemed to satisfy him for the moment.  The real test would come when he actually took his first bite.

About 30 minutes later we sat down to lunch with this huge wonderful Mediterranean Quinoa Salad, his poki, and some fruit and he had his first taste!  He savored the flavor, and then a big smile erupted across his face.  BINGO!  I knew I had him. He leaned over and gave me a big smooch.  Oh yea! One satisfied customer.

Enjoy!!


Mediterranean Quinoa

serves 10

2 cups  multi-colored quinoa or any colored quinoa 

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

2 Tbls olive oil

1 tsp lemon zest   

2 tsp fresh lemon juice

1 tsp sherry vinegar

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 cup cherry tomatoes, red and yellow, halved    

1/2 cup yellow, orange and red mini bell peppers, small dice   

1/2 cup chopped English cucumber, diced  

1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

1 tsp fresh mint, minced  

Rinse and drain quinoa in a mesh strainer.  Bring broth to a bowl over high heat in a medium saucepan.  Add quinoa and reduce to a simmer.  Cover and cook 15 minutes or until water is absorbed and quinoa is tender.  Uncover and fluff with a fork.  Allow to cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile prepare the vegetables.  Add the quinoa and vegetables to a large bowl.  In a small bowl whisk together olive oil, zest, lemon juice, vinegar and salt.  Drizzle over salad and toss to combine.  Sprinkle feta cheese and mint over the top and serve.

Middle Eastern Vegetable Salad

It's a summer of salads! Even though it's September and all the stores claim that it's fall already, it isn't here in Southern California.

Nope. It's 105, hot and humid. So I would say that still qualifies as summer, wouldn't you?

Even so, the stores still have a wonderful assortment of late summer vegetables that need to be put to good use.  So why not make a salad with some juicy summer tomatoes and some fresh herbs?  

I've been glancing through my Ina Garten cookbooks lately and picked up one titled "Barefoot Contessa How Easy Is That?".  She has the most perfect recipes that just always, always work. The flavors pop and I've never had a dish I didn't like from Ina. Don't you just love her?  So anyway, I found a wonderful salad she called "Middle Eastern Vegetable Salad" which was right up my alley.  I love the combination of tomatoes, cucumber, mint, garbanzo beans, feta etc....all wrapped up in a lemon vinaigrette.   This was what I decided to make and I'm sooooo glad I did!

This was fabulous.  Crunchy, sweet, salty, and tart all rolled into one dish.  Plus, this was really easy to make.  Great as a side dish with some grilled chicken, or as a lunch main dish. It holds up well so the leftovers are just as delicious.  A real winner!

Here's her recipe below.  

You can't beat a salad, in the summer, or any other time.

Enjoy!

Middle Eastern Vegetable Salad


(Serves 4 to 6)
adapted from Ina Garten's : Copyright 2010, Barefoot Contessa How Easy Is That?

1 pound ripe tomatoes, seeded, cored, and ½-inch-diced 
1 hothouse cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeded, and ½-inch-diced 
1 can or jar (12 to 16 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/3 cup chopped fresh mint leaves 1/3 cup julienned fresh basil leaves 
½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4 lemons) 
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves) 
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 
½ cup good olive oil 
8 ounces good feta cheese, ½-inch-diced 

Place the scallions, tomatoes, cucumber, chickpeas, parsley, mint, and basil in a large salad bowl and toss to combine. 

In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the lemon juice, garlic, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Slowly whisk in the olive oil to make an emulsion. Pour the dressing over the salad, tossing gently to coat all the vegetables. Add the feta, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss gently.