Grilled Balsamic Chicken with Mediterranean Rice

Yum

Boy do I have a recipe for you today!

It all started when I went to my local Farmer's Market over the weekend and ran into a booth that was displaying the most decadent looking oils and vinegars! Oh do I love specialty items.  So after tasting a dozen or so I decided to purchase 6 types.  Not 1 or 2, but 6 different flavors.  I went exotic with Pear Vinegar, Peach Jalapeno Vinegar, Blood Orange Olive Oil....and a few others.  However, one of their best is a basic Balsamic Vinegar.

The nectar of gods!  The flavor was soooo good I could chug it straight from the bottle!. It tastes like candy, no seriously it does!  With this precious new find I decided this would be first up in the next recipe I make. 

So I got to thinking about a quick weeknight meal.  It's springtime and I don't want to be cooking all night and stuck in the kitchen.  I want to be sitting outdoors, enjoying the evening and glass of sangria!  With that in mind a quick chicken dish was in order.  Grilled Balsamic Chicken with Mediterranean Rice was born!

GRILLED BALSAMIC CHICKEN WITH

MEDITERRANEAN RICE

This dish does require a quick marinate of 1 hour or 2.  If you only have a tiny amount of time before dinner then leave the chicken marinating out on the counter for 15 minutes instead of placing the chicken and marinade in the refrigerator.  This will speed up the process. 

The rest comes together really quickly.  Make the rice and vegetable sauté first (using instant if you like) and then grill the chicken.  The meal comes together in about 30-40 minutes.  NOTE:  You can use any brand of balsamic vinegar you like.  Here's a link to the one I purchased which can be bought online as well.

Grilled chicken smothered in the complex flavors of balsamic vinegar, Dijon, and lemon turn this into a company worthy meal, but simple enough for a family weeknight meal.  Accompanied by a flavorful rice that combines with the vegetables of the Mediterranean.  The perfect combination, and a winner in my book!

Enjoy!

Grilled Balsamic Chicken with Mediterranean Rice

serves 4

4 thin cut chicken breasts

Marinade:
2 T Dijon Mustard
2 T balsamic vinegar
juice of 1 lemon
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
2 T olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Rice:
1 1/2 cups converted brown rice
1 1.2 cups chicken broth - low sodium
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1 Zucchini, sliced lengthwise and cut into moon shapes
1 T olive oil
1 tsp Italian Seasoning

Place the chicken breasts in a zip lock bag.  In a bowl add the rest of the marinade ingredients and stir to combine.  Remove 1/3 cup of the marinade and place in a container for use during grilling.  Add the rest of the marinade in the bag, seal and toss to coat the chicken.  Place in the refrigerator up to 2 hours.

In a small sauce pan add the chicken broth and bring to a boil over high heat.  Add the rice and cook until tender on low for 20 minutes.  Meanwhile in a medium skillet add the olive oil and heat over medium-high heat.  Add the tomatoes and zucchini and sauté until golden brown and tomatoes have burst.  About 3-5 minutes.  Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and stir to combine.  Remove from heat.  Once rice is done add vegetables to the rice and fluff, tossing to combine.

Using an indoor grill pan, heat over medium heat.  Add the marinated chicken to the grill pan, throwing away the used marinade.  Cook 3-4 minutes on the first side.  Turn and brush with the saved marinade, watching closely so the chicken doesn't burn.  Cook for 2-3 minutes until cooked through.

Remove from pan and serve along with the veggie rice.

Country French Toast

Yum

There is nothing better than down home cooking.  The kind that reminds you of your mom's or grandma's food.  It's comfort food for sure, but also the kind that sticks to your ribs and keeps you wanting more!

Our weekends are for lazing around and having big breakfasts.  Especially on a Sunday.  It's something we look forward to each week, so last night I went digging in the family heirloom recipe box and came across a real winner.

COUNTRY FRENCH TOAST

This recipe comes from my mom's Aunt Grace.  She lived in Oklahoma and really new he way around "country food".  Her Buttermilk Pancakes are to die for and you should definitely check them out.  So I knew that her Country French Toast was going to be a winner as well and boy did these not disappoint!  Light and tender, fluffy thick pieces of country bread fried to a golden brown, and smothered in real maple syrup.  It doesn't get much better!

These are easy to whip up.  Just a few ingredients and you are set.  Using a thick sliced county bread makes these decadent and really "country style".  And don't substitute the butter for margarine as it makes a difference in the flavor and end result.

So thanks again to Aunt Grace for another wonderful recipe!  Try this next weekend and you and your family will be sure to want this in your breakfast rotation!

Enjoy!









Country French Toast

8 slices country bread (such as Italian country bread - thick sliced bread)
2 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1½ teaspoons real vanilla extract
1 teaspoon butter
Pinch of salt

Preheat a large skillet or griddle over medium-low heat.

In a large bowl, and eggs, vanilla, milk, and salt.  Beat until combined.  

Melt butter on your skillet or griddle.

Place bread into batter to coat the first side, then flipping to coast the other side. Place the coated bread on the griddle and cook 1-2 minutes on the first side until golden brown.  Flip and cook until golden and cooked through.  

Serve warm with butter and warm maple syrup.  

Chili Lime Salmon with Roasted Vegetables

Yum

So I have to admit that this is a rare posting of a "fishy" dish.  I don't eat fish but MGG loves it.  So I will on occasion make him fish while cooking a piece of chicken for myself.

Since I hadn't made him a salmon dish in quite awhile I thought it was time to do just that!  It just so happened that this particular salmon dish came out fabulously delicious that I had to share it all with you.  You are gonna love this.

Chili Lime Salmon with Roasted Vegetables

The flavors in this dish just POP!  The salmon is bursting with a chili lime seasoning and I use a searing and roasting method that produces a crispy fish on the outside and juicy and succulent on the inside.   This method is really easy to do and is perfect if you are cooking four or less fillets.  The best tool that you can use for this is a cast-iron skillet.  It cooks the fish beautifully!

Serve along a combination of roasted potatoes, green beans, and butternut squash.  A great combination that turns out to be the perfect side dish to the fish. 

This is one easy weeknight meal, that is perfect for the fish lover!

Enjoy!

Chili Lime Salmon with Roasted Vegetables

serves 4

2 tablespoons of butter
4 salmon fillets
2 Tablespoons chili lime seasoning (such as Mrs. Dash)
3/4 lb fresh green beans
1 1/2 lb baby gold potatoes (halved or quartered)
1 lb cubed butternut squash
olive oil
salt & pepper

Heat the oven to 450 degrees. On a sheet pan place the butternut squash and potatoes, spreading them out so they don't overlap too much. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Toss to coat and spread out again on the pan.

Cook the vegetables for 15 minutes, remove from the oven and toss and add the green beans. Cook an additional 10 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and cover with foil to keep warm.

Turn the oven down to 400 degrees.

Sprinkle the seasoning over the salmon fillets. In a cast-iron skillet over medium high, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the salmon fillets, skin side down and cook for 3 minutes over to brown the skin. Spoon some of the melted butter over the top of the fish as it cooks.

Transfer the skillet to oven. Roast until fish is just cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes.