What's For Dinner: Pan-Roasted BBQ Chicken Thighs

We eat a lot of chicken around this parts. As in several nights a week. I love chicken in that it's a nutritious source of lean protein and it lends itself quite well to a wide variety of recipes.

For a simple dinner, I'll season boneless, skinless chicken thighs with salt and pepper, place them in a lightly oiled glass baking dish and bake them in a 425-degree oven for 20 minutes. Easy-peasy.

This recipe for pan-roasted BBQ chicken thighs takes my simple recipe a couple steps further, but still cooks up in less than 30 minutes. To add a little crispness to the skinless chicken, the thighs are first roasted on the stovetop before being basted with barbecue sauce and finished in the oven.

On a weeknight when time is of the essence, a simple recipe like this one is a total godsend. I usually start a batch of rice in the rice cooker right before putting the chicken on the stove, so that it's ready to go once the chicken is out of the oven. Place a serving of chicken on a bed of rice, garnish with fresh parsley or cilantro, and dinner is ready to be served.

Pan-Roasted BBQ Chicken Thighs (printer-friendly version)
makes 4-6 servings

1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (just over 1 pound)
fine sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
fresh cilantro, chopped [optional]

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Add the grapeseed oil to a cast iron skillet and heat over high heat. Use a paper towel to remove any excess moisture from the chicken thighs and trim any excess fat. Season both sides of the chicken thighs with salt and pepper and place them in a single layer in the skillet. Reduce the heat to medium-high and cook for 10 minutes. Flip the chicken over and cook for an additional 10 minutes.

2. Coat both sides of the chicken with barbecue sauce (about 1 tablespoon per side per piece) and place in the oven. Bake for 3 minutes, then remove from the oven and coat each side again with barbecue sauce. Bake for an additional 3 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the barbecue sauce begins to blacken around the edges. Let rest 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with chopped cilantro. 

What's For Dinner: Moroccan Chicken and Couscous Soup

It appears that as soon as I wax on about the lovely springtime weather, Northern Wisconsin strikes back with a little taste of winter. Over the weekend, our temperatures dropped from the mid 70s back down into the 30s and 40s, and these colder temperatures were accompanied by high winds and moments of intense sleet and snow. Happily, none of the precipitation accumulated. I'm not sure what I would have done if it had.

Due to the return of wintery weather, I decided a warm and spicy soup was on order for dinner on Sunday. I knew that I wanted the soup to include chicken, since I already had a package of organic chicken breasts thawed in the refrigerator. Nothing was piquing my interest on Pinterest, so I cast a wider net and happened upon a Food & Wine recipe for Moroccan Chicken and Couscous soup.

This soup is rich in flavor and the addition of cayenne and cumin adds just the right level of spiciness without being overwhelming. The couscous adds heartiness to the soup, making it a filling meal.

Moroccan Chicken and Couscous Soup (printer-friendly version)
makes six servings

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 white onion, chopped
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2), cut into approximately 1 1/2-by-1/4-inch strips
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 3/4 teaspoons sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces
3 carrots, peeled and sliced thinly
3/4 cup tomato puree
4 cups filtered water
2 cups low-sodium organic vegetable broth
1 cup cooked couscous, cooked per the manufacturer's instructions
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

1. Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes.
2. Add in the chicken, cayenne, cumin, salt, and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is browned on all sides.
3. Add the sweet potato, zucchini, carrots, tomato puree, water, and vegetable broth. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the vegetables are fork-tender, 10-15 minutes.
4. Stir in the cooked couscous, and simmer for an additional five minutes.
5. Garnish with fresh parsley, and serve.

 (adapted from this Food & Wine recipe)

What's For Dessert: Simple Strawberry Shortcake

One of my favorite signs of spring is the arrival of fresh strawberries in the marketplace. Up until now, there have been organic strawberries on sale at our local natural foods store -- but at nearly $6/quart, a little too expensive for my taste. Last weekend D and I were in California for my grandmother's 90th birthday, and had the chance to walk through the Sunnyvale farmers market on Saturday morning with my friend Sheri. The amount of fresh produce for sale was overwhelming to my snow-weary eyes. As we walked along, I tasted some of the fresh produce -- I was so in love with the flavor of strawberries for sale that I couldn't resist buying a pint.

{strawberries on sale at the Sunnyvale farmers market}

Fast forward to this past weekend, and while shopping at Golden Harvest I was delighted to find strawberries on sale for less than $2/quart at Golden Harvest. I bought two pints, but I think I may have to go back to buy a flat -- I foresee some jam-making in my future.

In the meantime, I couldn't wait to try out the strawberries. Though not quite as amazing as the ones I tasted in Sunnyvale, to my fresh produce-starved tastebuds they tasted quite delicious. And with a touch of sugar, the strawberries would be the ideal component in a strawberry shortcake recipe. I wanted to make something super simple and didn't want to fuss around with a lot of ingredients. A quick Google search resulted in finding a recipe I could work with; I made a few substitutions based on the ingredients I had on hand, and of course I couldn't help but add in a splash of vanilla, too. For a simple recipe, the shortcake turned out quite well and perfectly complemented the sweetness of the fresh strawberries. Add a healthy dollop of fresh whipped cream on top, and dessert is ready to be served.

Simple Strawberry Shortcake (printer-friendly version)
makes 4-6 servings

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups organic half-and-half cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced and slightly mashed [stir in some sugar if desired]
1 cup fresh whipped cream

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a 8"x8" baking dish with parchment paper (leave excess on either end so that you can use it as handles to remove the shortcake from the pan once baked) and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt. Stir in the half-and-half and vanilla until just combined.
3. Spoon the batter into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the shortcake is golden brown.
4. Remove the shortcake from the baking dish and set it on a wire rack to cool.
5. Use a cookie or biscuit cutter to cut out a shortcake into your desired shape. Cut the shortcake in half.
5. Top one half of the shortcake with strawberries and whipped cream. Place the remaining shortcake half on top and serve immediately.

(adapted from this Food Network recipe)

What's For Dinner: Italian Sausage Soup

Where does my recipe inspiration come from? Sometimes it's as simple as a glance at the recipe on the saltine cracker box. The hearty Italian sausage soup described on the side of the box of my Nabisco Premium Saltine Crackers sounded rather intriguing, so I decided to give it a go. Since I just made a delicious minestrone soup recently, I decided to meld together some of the aspects I liked about that recipe with the one on the cracker box. The original recipe calls for the addition of pasta, but since D is a little carbaphobic of late, I left it out. Because I added in a number of additional veggies, I don't think the pasta was missed at all.

Italian Sausage Soup (printer-friendly version)
makes 8-10 servings

6 ounces organic chicken Italian sausage, sliced
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon round black pepper
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 cup chopped mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (14.5 oz) organic stewed tomatoes, undrained

4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

1 can low-sodium garbanzo beans, rinsed
1 cup frozen organic corn kernels
1 cup frozen organic green beans
1 teaspoon fried oregano
Parmesan [for garnish]

1. Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large soup pot. Add the celery, carrots, onion, mushrooms, salt, and pepper. Saute until the vegetables are softened, 5-7 minutes. Add in the minced garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
2. In a large skillet, cook the sausage until heated through. Set aside.
3. Stir in the stewed tomatoes (with juices), vegetable broth, garbanzo beans, corn, green beans, and oregano. Add in the cooked sausage. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 25-30 minutes, or until all the vegetables are tender.
4. Ladle into bowls and garnish each serving with freshly grated Parmesan. Serve immediately.

What's For Dinner: Sweet Potato Chipotle Soup

I, as many people do, like to think of the New Year as a new start in terms of diet and exercise. After a prolonged period of eating lots of delicious, yet rather-indulgent, items over the holidays, it's about time I settled back into a more healthy diet. One of the best ways I know how to do this is to start off the year by adding a lot more soups into my diet. And, no, not the kind you can buy in a can from the grocery store (the nutrition of which in most cases leaves a lot to be desired) -- instead I like to make soups from scratch. Throw together a few vegetables, a box of veggie or chicken broth, and some herbs and spices, and in about 30-45 minutes, you've got a healthy ready-to-eat meal. The soup recipes I follow tend to make many portions, so it's easy to have a healthy soup on hand for lunches throughout the following week. 

The first soup I made this year was a Sweet Potato and Chipotle Soup adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe. The addition of a chipotle pepper gives this soup a nice spicy undertone that doesn't overwhelm the rich sweet potato flavor. 

Sweet Potato Chipotle Soup (printer-friendly version)
makes 8-10 servings

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium white onion, chopped
coarse sea salt and ground pepper
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 garlic cloves, minced
3-4 medium sweet potatoes (2 pounds total), peeled and cut into 1" cubes
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, chopped
6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

1. Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onions and saute until they are soft and lightly browned, about 5-7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the cumin and minced garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30-60 seconds.
2. Stir in the sweet potatoes, chile, and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to medium, partially cover the pot with a lid, and simmer until the sweet potatoes are tender, about 20-25 minutes.
3. Remove the soup from the heat and allow to cool slightly. In batches, puree the soup in a blender. Be careful to allow steam to escape while blending.
4. Pour the pureed soup back into the soup pot and heat over low. Season to taste withs salt and pepper. Serve immediately. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for up to one week in the refrigerator; or you can freeze any leftovers.

(adapted from this Martha Stewart recipe)

What's On the Side: Quick Warm Citrusy Cranberry Sauce

I couldn't have roast chicken without some cranberry sauce on the side. As is usually the case, I didn't think to make cranberry sauce until about 20 minutes before it was time for dinner, so a warm sauce it would be. I think I actually prefer warm cranberry sauce. It's a nice change from the typical chilled-in-the-fridge kind. I started making my own cranberry sauce a few years ago -- it's super-simple, and you can control the amount of sugar in the sauce. I added a fair amount of orange zest to this cranberry sauce; if you'd prefer the cranberry flavor to shine, reduce the amount of orange zest added, or omit it completely.

Quick Warm Citrusy Cranberry Sauce (printer-friendly version)
makes 2-4 servings

1 cup filtered water
1 cup raw sugar
2 cups organic fresh cranberries

1 teaspoon orange zest

1. In a medium sauce pot, stir together the water and sugar. Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
2. Continue boiling for 5 minutes, or until the mixture begins to thicken slightly.
3. Add the cranberries, and bring the mixture back to a boil.
4. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 5-10 minutes, without stirring.
5. Once the sauce has thickened, stir in the orange zest.
6. Serve warm, or pour into a small bowl and chill in the fridge until firm.

(adapted from this recipe)