What's For Dinner: Slow Cooker Balsamic Chicken with Roasted Tomatoes

Though in the past I have typically only broken out my slow cooker during the fall and winter months, this summer it has gotten quite the workout! I love how I can just pop ingredients into it and forget about it -- and by the time the dinner hour rolls around, something delicious is ready to be plated. Recently I've been trying to work through our freezer and pantry contents (a much-delayed spring cleaning effort?). From my cleaning efforts, I procured a package of frozen chicken thighs and a can of diced tomatoes. I amped up the tomato flavor with the addition of some slow-roasted tomatoes. The addition of balsamic vinegar and a few dried herbs helps to deepen the flavor. This dish can be served as-is, or over your favorite pasta. (I served my portion over linguine.)

Slow Cooker Balsamic Chicken with Roasted Tomatoes (printer-friendly version)
makes 3-4 servings

1 28-ounce can no-salt-added organic diced tomatoes

1-pound boneless, skinless frozen organic chicken thighs
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 cup roasted thyme cherry tomatoes (see below for recipe)

1. Add the diced tomatoes to the bottom of a 2-quart slow cooker bowl. Top with the frozen chicken thighs.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sea salt, black pepper, dried basil, and dried oregano. Pour the mixture over top the chicken. Top with the roasted tomatoes.
3. Cover the slow cooker bowl with the lid and cook on low for 4-6 hours, or until a thermometer inserted into the chicken reads 165 degrees. Serve plain or over top your favorite pasta.

Thyme Slow-Roasted Cherry Tomatoes (printer-friendly version)
makes about one cup

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1-2 teaspoons olive oil
dash Maldon sea salt flakes
dash freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Place the halved tomatoes cut-side-up in a glass baking dish. Add in olive oil, sea salt, black pepper, and fresh thyme leaves. Gently shake the dish to evenly coat the tomatoes in the herb mixture. Re-flip any tomatoes so that they are all cut-side up.
3. Roast the tomatoes in the oven until they are slightly shriveled, about 60-75 minutes.
4. Let cool before using. Store any leftover tomatoes in an airtight container in the fridge. If you do not plan to use them immediately, add olive oil into the container until the tomatoes are just covered.

What's On the Side: Balsamic Roasted Asparagus

My typical method of cooking asparagus is a quick blanching in boiling water followed by pan sautéing. On a recent trip to Milwaukee, I picked up a gorgeous bunch of asparagus at the downtown farmers market, and I wanted to try something new with it. Since I had such success with roasting broccoli not too long ago, I followed the same method with my asparagus. To get a slightly sweeter flavor, I stirred some brown sugar into the roasting sauce, which played quite nicely with the savory and tangy flavor of the balsamic vinegar. Finish with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper along with a generous helping of Parmesan, and you've got an outstanding side on your hands that would pair quite well with a steak, burger, or other hearty entree.

Balsamic Roasted Asparagus (printer-friendly version)
makes two (large) servings

16 stalks asparagus (try to choose equally-sized stalks so that they cook evenly)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
freshly ground black pepper
coarse sea salt
1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. In a small bowl, stir together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and brown sugar.
3. Prep the asparagus by chopping off the woody ends. Place in a baking pan. Pour the balsamic mixture over top the asparagus. Roll around to evenly coat the asparagus.
4. Top with the thinly sliced garlic cloves.
5. Roast in the oven for 10-12 minutes, or until tender.
6. Remove from the oven and season with salt and pepper. Top with freshly grated Parmesan.

What's For Dessert: Roasted Balsamic Strawberries

I'm still in strawberry mode here, and luckily, a recent sale at our local natural foods store means that I again have a fridge full of pints of organic strawberries. A while ago, I had seen a recipe for roasted balsamic strawberries, and I was instantly intrigued by this combination of sweet and savory flavors. I love a spinach salad topped with strawberries and a balsamic vinaigrette dressing, so I had an idea that I would like how this would taste. And let me tell you, these roasted strawberries do not disappoint!

Roasting the strawberries gives them a deeper, more robust flavor, and really helps to bring out their sweetness. The balsamic vinegar gives them a slightly savory taste, without overpowering their sweetness -- the flavors really do meld together quite well. You could eat these strawberries on their own, or use it as a jam -- I imagine a crostini with ricotta or mascarpone cheese and a dollop of roasted balsamic strawberries would be divine. In addition, these strawberries would make an excellent ice cream topping, used either warm or cold. Later this week I'll share an ice pop recipe that utilizes these yummy strawberries. Spoiler alert: the popsicles are delicious.

Roasted Balsamic Strawberries (printer-friendly version)
makes about one cup

1 pound organic strawberries, rinsed, hulled, and cut in half
2 tablespoons raw sugar
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place the halved strawberries in a bowl. Add the sugar and stir to combine, evenly coating the strawberries in the sugar. Add the balsamic vinegar and stir.
3. Pour the strawberry mixture (and all juices, use a spatula if necessary to scrape out any remaining liquid) into a baking dish. (I used an 11"x7" aluminum pan; use whatever you have on hand, so long as the berries are in a single layer.)
4. Roast in the oven for 35-40 minutes, or until the juices are bubbling and the strawberries have softened.

5. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
6. After the strawberries have cooled, add them (and all the liquid) to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse several times until the strawberries are slightly pureed.

What's For Dinner: Grilled Balsamic Chicken

I'm going to sound like a broken record, but I just can't help it -- the warm, sunshine-filled weather we experienced this past weekend was just divine! I seriously can't get enough of it -- but I shouldn't get too excited, as this week has highs back down in the 40s in the forecast. And it's not like I haven't lived through long winters before -- the winter season in Laramie was seemingly relentless -- and it was a foregone conclusion that we'd get a big snow dump sometime in mid-April. But I guess two years on the East Coast must have ruined me -- in my mind, trees should be budding and flowers should be blooming. I so totally miss the fresh produce that I could be buying at the local farmers markets in Philly right about now! (I'm pretty sure our too-quick trip to California a couple of weeks ago also didn't help my warm-weather desire.)

Long story short, the lovely weather this weekend called for grilling. Luckily, I had a chicken breast in the fridge that I had been marinating in a balsamic vinaigrette -- so when dinner time rolled around, all I needed to do was prepare a quick salad (aka, take the box o' greens out of the fridge) and hand the marinated chicken breast to D to grill.

Though I intended to cook this chicken a day after I put it in the marinade, we ended up grilling it three days later. And, my, was this chicken full of flavor and tenderness. Served over a bed of greens, this grilled balsamic chicken makes for an excellent light meal for a warm spring (or dare I say, summer) evening.

Grilled Balsamic Chicken (printer-friendly version)
make two servings

2 6-oz organic chicken breasts
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
1/2 teaspoon oregano

1. In a quart-size plastic zippered bag, add the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, minced garlic, herbes de Provence, and oregano. Liberally salt and pepper both sides of the chicken breasts then place them in the bag and zipper it closed. Place the bag on a plate and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours.
2. Remove the chicken from the fridge about 20 minutes before grilling to allow it time to come to room temperature.
3. Grill the chicken for 10-15 minutes (about 4-7 minutes per side), or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Cover with foil and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve the breasts whole or cut the chicken into slices and serve.

What's On the Side: Balsamic Vinaigrette with Dijon, Rosemary, and Oregano

Happy October everyone! I am off early this a.m. on a flight headed to Chicago, so I've just got a quick post for today. Last night I hosted a dinner party for a group of friends. Though I had some balsamic vinaigrette in the fridge, I decided the "less processed" thing to do would be to make my own for a salad I was serving. I based this dressing recipe off my standard balsamic vinaigrette recipe, but added in a few extra seasonings.

Balsamic Vinaigrette with Dijon, Rosemary, and Oregano (printer-friendly version)

makes about 3/4 cup of dressing

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon organic Dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon finely chopped dried rosemary

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1. Whisk together the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and Dijon mustard. Stir in the rosemary, oregano, black pepper, and salt. Use immediately or chill in the fridge until ready to use. Stir thoroughly before using this to dress your salad.