Mediterranean Chicken

I had the great pleasure of being off from work last week in between the holidays.  Boy, was that nice!  I got to do several things I don't normally have time for, such as re-organizing and sorting out no longer used clothes and household items for the donation bins.  It feels really good to get rid of stuff.  You just feel lighter and less cluttered.  

But I did save some time out for some real fun, like visiting the Cleopatra exhibit on display at the California Science Center.   I've been wanting to go forever, and it's about to leave....so now was my chance.  It was a cold and windy day here, but out I went, all bundled up.  the exhibit was terrific.  The statues, the gold, the jewelry!  Awesome to see.

So after the museum it was back out into the cold and home for some comforting food for lunch.    All this Egyptian art got me to thinking grains...and chicken...and Mediterranean flavors.  (Not Egyptian but it was a tangent!) There I was rooting through the refrigerator to see what was on hand to make something with the flavors I was craving yet still provide a hot comforting meal.  One thing led to another and this Mediterranean dish was born.  

This is full of good for you ingredients.  Brown rice, lean chicken, zucchini, mushrooms, and tomatoes.  Add some spice for zip and you have a nice skillet meal that is hot and comforting.  Especially on a cold day.  This dish tastes as flavorful as it is beautiful.  A smart little side salad, which is now known as the Cleopatra salad, is a great accompaniment  Look for that recipe soon.  

So I hope this inspires you to get in the kitchen and make your family some Mediterranean Chicken.  It will please you to no end!




Mediterranean Chicken

Serves 4

1 c brown rice, uncooked
3/4 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized cubes
1/2 t coarse ground black pepper
2 T olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 c zucchini, cut lengthwise and sliced in half moons
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1/2 c onion, diced
1 15 oz. can of diced tomatoes with juice
1 c reduced sodium chicken broth
1 T dried oregano
1/2 t salt

Cook rice according to package directions. 

Sprinkle chicken with black pepper.  Heat a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add 1 Tablespoon of olive oil and heat.  Saute chicken in a large nonstick skillet, over medium high heat for about 4-5 minutes, stirring often.  Remove from pan to a plate.

Add the other 1 Tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet along with the garlic.  Saute for 30 seconds and add zucchini, mushrooms and onion.  Saute about 5 minutes.  Return chicken back to the skillet along with diced tomatoes.  Add broth, oregano and salt.  Stirring to combine.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 6-7 minutes, reducing the liquid until 1/4 cup.  Add cooked rice to skillet and mix well.  Serve hot.  

Eggnog Waffles

Happy New Year 2013!!

How exciting it is...a new year, new beginnings, and new food to try!

I hope all of you had a fun New Year's eve.  We did a little celebrating ourselves.  This year we went out to a favorite restaurant (Marmalade Cafe) close to the house. It's a wonderful warm and cozy intimate setting that reminds you of a Tuscan home.  The food is fresh, of high quality, and eclectic California inspired dishes.  Tuscan from steaks, tacos, pasta, chicken, to pot roast.  Excellent place to dine.  If you are in the LA area make sure to stop at one of their restaurants as the food is excellent.  (They have several in different areas in LA).

MGG ended up having the Seared Blackened Ahi  with Napa Slaw and I had a Pan Roasted Chicken Breast with Haricot Verts and Scalloped Potatoes.  Yum...a great way to ring in the New Year.

So it's the first day of 2013.  Time for some breakfast I think.  I had some leftover eggnog from the festivities and decided to put it to good use today.  Do you ever have leftover eggnog?  I always seem to.  MGG LOVES eggnog.  Me?  It's okay and I'll have a glass or two, but that's about it.  I do love the flavor though.  So I decided to use it in our waffles today, substituting the eggnog for the milk, and adding some of the spices that go along with the drink.  I tweaked a recipe I found on Pink Parsley.  Wonderful, wonderful blog!  Go say "Hi" to Josie and prepare to drool over her wonderful dishes!

The result...A complete hit.  Soft, moist, fluffy, and flavorful eggnog waffles!  You HAVE to try these.  If you love the flavor of eggnog, or just have leftovers like me then these are perfect.  Make sure to make the whole batch, you can always freeze any leftovers and pop them in the toaster for a quick breakfast on another day.

What a way to start the new year than with an excellent recipe and a wonderful breakfast.

Eggnog Waffles

adapted slightly from Pink Parsley 

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp nutmeg (preferably freshly grated)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 cup eggnog (low-fat is fine)

1/3 cup canola oil

1 egg

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together all the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, soda, salt sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon.  In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggnog, oil, and egg.   Add the dry to the wet, and stir until just combined.  

Allow the batter to sit for 30 minutes.  Preheat the waffle iron and cook the waffles according to the manufacturer's instructions.  Serve immediately with maple syrup or powdered sugar.  

Spinach and Feta Mini Turnovers

Tomorrow is New Years Eve!

A special time for all to ring in the new year.  I'm off to do some girly stuff today like get a mani/pedi, and some light shopping.  Celebration time!  Some sparkly is in order don't you think?

But before I go I wanted to show you these wonderful appetizers.  A friend of mine brought these to a function at work and I decided to try my hand and make my version of Spinach and Feta Mini Turnovers.

The Greek flavors inside a nicely browned and flaky pie dough is just the right combination for a small appetizer to serve anytime...but especially on new years eve.  What a great New Year's Eve appetizer!!

I bought this handy turnover mold (filled pastry press) at Williams-Sonoma a couple of weeks ago and was so eager to try it out.  It's really easy to use and it gives me a reason to make all types of appetizers or desserts using this gadget, where as I might now want to fuss with otherwise.  How does apple, pear, and raisin turnovers sounds?  How about mushroom turnovers?  Limitless variations await you!  Here is the item I used, and you can find it here.

It made making the appetizers really easy, and you can imagine the endless variations you could come up with.  A simple ready made pie dough is all you need.  If you wants puff pastry works really well as well.

Using a store bought dough I made about 10 appetizers with the 2 rolls.  Perfect for a small intimate party or a piece of a larger arrange of appetizers.

If you don't want to purchase the mold then you can make these the old fashioned way by cutting squares, adding the filling, and then creating triangles to enclose the filling.  Works as well, but is a little more work and effort than this mold.

So while I'm out doing my pampering, take a look at this recipe and try these delicious bites!

Happy New Year's Eve!

Spinach and Feta Mini Turnovers 

Serves 10

Ingredients:
1 package of ready- made pie crust (2 crusts)
1 pkg. (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained 
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese 
½ tsp onion powder 
¼ tsp garlic powder 
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper 
1 egg beaten for an egg wash

DIRECTIONS:
Heat the oven to 400°F. 

Drain thawed spinach really well getting out all water. Place in a medium bowl. Add cheese, onion powder, garlic powder, and black pepper. Stir to combine.

Unroll the pie crust lightly floured surface. Place over the bottom of a floured pastry mold, and gently press down dough in triangles to mold. Brush edges of the triangles with an egg wash. Place about 1 tablespoon spinach mixture in the center of each triangle mold.

Unroll the other pie crust on the floured surface. Place the pie crust over the top of the filling. Take the top pastry mold and place upside down over the pastries. Press down tightly to score the dough and assist with sealing the dough. Take off the top mold. Turn the bottom mold over to release the pastries.

Using a knife or pastry cuter trim each pastry along the edges using the scoring as a guideline. Remove any excess pie crust dough. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush the tops with an egg wash.

Bake for 15 minutes or until the pastries are golden brown.  Remove the pastries from the baking sheet and let cool on wire racks for 10 minutes.