Whole Roasted Chicken with Red Potatoes

Tags

#basil, #chicken, #garlic, #healthy, #healthydinner, #mywifethechef, #paprika, #potatoes, #schoolnight, #wholechicken, spices

Serving this dinner, for some silly reason made me feel really fancy. Maybe it was the presentation, maybe it was the place mats, who knows..but if you want an easy to make, beautifully presented and delicious dinner, this is it!I usually never buy whole broiler chickens, because it’s just my husband, 1 year old and me, but this 4.5 pound whole chicken was a whopping $8.25!!!! How could I NOT buy it? If only I had stocked up and froze the others! I think my next random, but necessary purchase is going to be an extra freezer chest for times like these when I really want to buy beef our poultry on sale but just don’t have the freezer space.

Back to the chicken..I cooked this chicken with red potatoes, celery and onions, in the same pan. This was a ” one pan” operation, with no bowls to wash and barely any mess to clean up. Try it and let me know what you think ;-).

Whole Roasted Chicken with Red Potatoes:

1 whole broiler chicken, washed and patted dry

1/2 large white onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, washed and chopped

6 red potatoes, cubed ( not peeled)

1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons salt

1/2 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons black pepper

1 tablespoon dried basil

1/2 tablespoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon fresh or dried parsley

1 teaspoon garlic salt

2 teaspoons paprika

1/4 cup water

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

• Wash chicken thoroughly ( pull out giblets if they have not already been removed). Pat chicken dry, and sprinkle and press 1 tablespoon each of salt and pepper inside the chicken cavity. Add a handful of chopped celery and onions to the cavity as well. Place chicken in pan.
• Chop red potatoes and place around chicken. Evenly distribute chopped celery and onions over potatoes and sprinkle remaining salt and pepper over chicken and potatoes.
• Sprinkle basil, garlic, parsley, garlic salt and paprika over the panned chicken and potatoes, and add water to the pan via the corners so as not to wash away spices.
• Place chicken uncovered into a preheated oven and cook for 1 hour and 40 minutes. Gently mix potatoes after an hour.
• Serve and enjoy!

* I had fabulous pictures of the chicken post carving, but unfortunately they were accidentally deleted :(. I guess I’ll just have to make this again!

Chicken all spiced up and ready for the oven.

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Mock Crab salad

Tags

#garlic, #imitationcrab, #mywifethechef, #pasta, #salad, #scallions, #shabbosday, #smarttaste

Get ready to make this your new, FAVORITE summer appetizer. Last week, my mother sent me a picture of a dish she made for her and my father, mock crab and sauteed peppers, and it looked fabulous! As always, my mother is my inspiration for so many things, including a number of dishes on My Wife The Chef. I wanted to use that inspiration and create a new Shabbos day entree, and it received rave reviews. I only wish I could have taken more pictures, because I don’t feel the above picture does this salad justice. Can’t win em’ all!

Mock Crab salad:

1 package of Smart Taste angel hair pasta, boiled and drained

1 cup diced white onion

1 orange pepper, chopped

2 stalks of scallions, diced

1 package of imitation crab sticks, chopped into 1 inch pieces

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon dried basil leaves

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil ( plus olive oil to saute)

Directions:

• Boil Smart Taste angel hair pasta, drain and set aside.
• Saute onion in a little olive oil until soft. Add pepper and scallions and 1 teaspoon of garlic salt.
• Stir in chopped imitation crab, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
• In a medium bowl ( I did this in the serving bowl), combine pasta and mock crab mixture, and add garlic powder, basil leaves, remaining garlic salt, salt, pepper and olive oil. Using tongs, toss salad until completely combined.

* This was the perfect appetizer before my chicken soup Friday night, and on Saturday, I served in along with a delicious gefilte fish loaf. Yay for trying new things in the kitchen!!!!

Pan roasted chicken with leeks

Tags

#chicken, #dinner, #healthychicken, #leeks, #mywifethechef, #shabbos, #vegetables

Here is a quick pre-Shabbos post…juicy and savory pan roasted chicken ( bottoms and breast) with leeks. I made this the other night, because I had half a leek left over from a delicious soup that I keep meaning to blog about. This chicken is super easy, perfect for weeknight or Shabbos, and very low in WW points + if you’re into that sort of thing..;-).

Pan roasted chicken with leeks:

4 large pieces of chickens ( bottoms or breasts)

3 cups of low sodium-calorie free vegetable broth

1 cup cold water

1 cup leek, chopped

dash of pepper & salt

Directions:

Yields: 4 servings

Prep time: 3 minutes

Cook time: 65 minutes

• Heat up a large skillet and add vegetable broth and water, reserving 1/2 cup broth.
• Arrange cleaned chicken, bottom side facing down into the pan, pour remaining vegetable broth over chicken, followed by chopped leeks.
• Sprinkle a dash of salt and pepper over the chicken, turn heat to a medium flame and cover.
• Cook on medium for 45 minutes, turn flame to low and cook for another 25-30 minutes.

* The leftover broth and leeks in the pan make for a delicious cup of soup!!!

^ Before and after.

Good Shabbos!!!

Grilled tilapia with creamy linguini

Tags

#cheese, #fish, #linguini, #mozzarella, #pasta, #ronzoni, #tilapia, #wholegrain

I love my new grill pan! I have been putting off buying one, really for no reason, and the other day as I was walking through the pots and pans aisle in Bed Bath & Beyond (best section ever), I spotted the perfect one. One side is a grill pan, the other a griddle. I’m in heaven. Last night and tonight I made good use out of it, incredible dinners that we scarfed down. YUM! This is the simplest tilapia recipe ever, and my new favorite.

Grilled Tilapia:

4 tilapia fillets

1/4 teaspoon salt ( for each fillet)

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper ( for each fillet)

1/2 lime

Grill pan  & cooking spray

Directions:

• Heat up your grill pan on a high flame, generously spray with cooking/olive oil spray.
• For each fillet, press into 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and spread spices with your fingers so the fillet is evenly coated.
• Lay each fillet on the grill pan and reduce to medium heat or medium flame.
• Slice 1/2 lime into 4 even wedges, squeeze the juice from each wedge onto each piece of tilapia and lay juiced wedge on top of fillet.
• Cook for 12 minutes on each side, or until cooked all the way through.

Creamy Linguini:

1/2 box Ronzoni Whole Grain Linguini

6 tablespoons butter/margarine

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 teaspoon deli style mustard

1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

• Boil linguini according to the directions on the box. Drain and set aside.
• In the pot you boiled the pasta in, melt butter or margarine on a low heat. Add cheese and stir until creamy.
• Add mustard and salt, stir quickly and add drained linguini. Toss until evenly coated. Serve immediately.

The Creamy Linguini was AMAZING. I bought Nathan’s Deli style mustard at BED BATH& BEYOND if you can believe that (OU). I decided to have a little fun with it ;). Perfection! Enjoy!

Honey BBQ chicken wings over mixed veggies

Tags

#barbeque, #chicken, #deliciousdinner, #dinner, #honeybbq, #mywifethechef, #wings

Quick dinner, quick post! I made this savory dinner the other night when I was exhausted from a long day, and didn’t feel like making a meal that was accompanied by a long prep time. I buy chicken wings and freeze them all the time because they are inexpensive, easy to cook, and allow for a lot of kitchen creativity.

I’ll be back tonight with a super moist and delicious pumpkin-cranberry muffin recipe. For now enjoy my Honey BBQ wings 😉

Honey BBQ wings over mixed veggies:

Yields: 3 servings, vegetables and chicken

1 large bag of frozen mixed vegetables

1 package of chicken wings, (10-16 wings)

1 1/2 cup original BBQ sauce

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 F.
• Spray glass or tin baking pan, and empty one entire bag of frozen vegetable evenly into dish.
• In a small bowl, combine BBQ sauce, onion powder, garlic powder and pepper.
• Dip each chicken wing into sauce mixture, evenly coat, and lay over vegetables.
• Bake uncovered for 50 minutes, turn oven to BROIL and bake another 10-15 minutes.

Wings are so juicy on the inside, and crispy on the outside. Someone even asked me if they were GRILLED. I love my broiler <3. The vegetables become infused with the delicious wing sauce, I could not stop eating them. YUM.

Crock-pot TURKEY! New twist on my favorite dinner.

Tags

#basmatirice, #crockpot, #crockpotinner, #dairyfree, #dairyfreedinner, #mywifethechef, #rice, #turkey, #turkeywings

A new crock-pot delight! No matter what new dishes I create and blog about, my crock-pot dishes are always among the most viewed by my readers. I guess I’m not the only one who loves the simplicity and ease of a crock-pot ;-).

When I was doing my weekly grocery shop, I noticed just how inexpensive turkey wings are. I have purchased them before, not in a while, but never compared their prices to chicken cutlets or ground beef. I bought a package of 2 huge turkey wings for $5.58! Everything else I needed was already in my cabinets or fridge…dinner = done! I usually use white rice in my crock-pot dinners, but this time I mixed white rice with basmati, and used my left over Farmer’s Market basil and I must say..YUM!

Crock-pot TURKEY:

1 cup white rice

1 cup basmati rice

1 8 oz. can of tomato sauce

1 package turkey wings

1 tablespoon parsley

2 sprigs fresh basil, chopped

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried dill

1 tablespoon onion soup mix

* Enough water to submerge but not fully cover the turkey

Yields: 5, 1 cup servings of rice and 2 portions of protein.

Directions:

• Spray crock-pot dish with cooking spray.
• Add rices then pour tomato sauce on top.
• Lay turkey wings on top of sauce.
• Add parsley, and basil, followed by all of the spices listed, except for the onion soup mix.
• Pour cold water into crock-pot, around the edges of the turkey so as not to wash away spices.
• Sprinkle onion soup mix on top, cover and cook on high for 6 1/2 hours. Turn pot to warm until ready to serve.

I usually serve a soup or salad with dinner, but this is more than enough to fill you up! My son loved the turkey so much that he ate half of my wing! I will definitely be making this again, and will of course share any additions with you all.

Happy Tuesday!

Red lentil, anise & carrot soup.

Tags

#anise, #carrot, #dairyfree, #healthydinner, #lentils, #mywifethechef, #redlentil, #soup

Red lentil, anise & carrot soup. Packed with vitamins!!! As I mentioned in last night’s crouton post, I am going through a “soup phase”. As I have been trying to incorporate more protein and vegetables into my family’s dinners, and less complex carbs ( and dairy), I have become obsessed with how easy it is to make a delicious, healthy, and filling soup. Whenever I go to the grocery store now, I browse the vegetable section, creating the soup in my head and then jotting down my idea ( or rather, typing it into my phone). This past Shabbos, my mother in law made an amazing chicken soup, adding the usual ingredients of dill, onion, carrot, chicken etc, This time, she added anise. For those of you who have never seen an anise, full name pimpinella anisum, it looks a lot like a fennel bulb. Fennel is actually an herb and anise is a vegetable. I may be the only nerd out there who is interested in this stuff, so hang in there, I’m almost done with my veggie rant.

Anywho, I was reading up about anise, and many case studies show that a diet rich in Vitamin C can help shorten the duration of a cold and even aid in killing off cancer cells in the colon. Sign me up! Anise is also chock full of vitamins that help strengthen your immune system and help keep your heart healthy. I love serving my family dinner and at the same time knowing they are eating something that is actively keeping them safe from the inside out.

This soup was super yummy, especially when topped off with my crunchy homemade croutons. Try it this week and let me know what you think! Stay healthy!

Red lentil, anise & carrot soup:

1 1/2 cups red lentils

1/2 anise bulb ( stem included)

1 large carrot

3 cups chicken broth

3 cups water

1 dash salt

Yields 8, 1 cup servings.

Directions:

• In a medium pot, add ingredients starting with red lentils. Bring pot to a boil, then simmer for 40 minutes. DONE.
• It’s that simple.
• Enjoy! 😉

Chicken meatballs (over basmati rice & salad)

Tags

#chicken, #chickenmeatballs, #droz, #goodhousekeeping, #meatballs, #mywifethechef

I love how my chicken meatballs look like Matzoh balls. This picture is getting me excited for my Friday night Chicken soup with matzoh balls. 🙂

I posted a couple of days ago, about an article I read in Good Housekeeping, featuring Dr. Oz. I can’t get enough of him! My lettuce wrapped turkey and lentil salad garnered a lot of attention, because people are always looking to change up or improve their eating habits, as am I! Dr. Oz discusses the pros and cons of dieting, and highlights some of the areas in which many of us lack actual knowledge of what we should be limiting and more importantly, what we should be adding into our diet. You can read more about that in my previous post, or by picking up the May 2013 issue of Good Housekeeping.

Dr. Oz suggested serving chicken meatballs over Orzo and vegetables, but I only had basmati rice, and my husband and I are trying to incorporate salad into most if not all of our dinner time meals. ( Besides the high amounts of folate, YAY folate, a super important B vitamin especially for you preggies out there, lettuce has a great deal of fiber and is calorie free!).

Chicken meatballs:

1 pound ground chicken

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 tablespoons extra- virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Prepare 2 cups of basmati rice according to directions of the package. When fully cooked, add one teaspoon of salt and one teaspoon of garlic powder. Set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 450 F.

3. In a medium bowl, mix chicken, garlic, oregano, onion powder and salt. Shape into 2- inch meatballs.

4. Lay chicken “meatballs” on a jelly roll pan, and brush with olive oil. Bake 12-15 minutes, or until cooked through.

I made a tasty, healthy salad of lettuce, raw mushrooms, red onions, and cucumber. I do usually prefer romaine lettuce or spinach leaves but my husband likes Iceberg. I added one cup of my basmati rice to the center of my salad, laid the chicken meatballs a top the rice, and drizzled with a light Caesar dressing.

HEALTHY AND DELICIOUS. Can’t go wrong with that combo!

Mac & Cheese cups

Tags

#macandcheese, #mozzarella, #pasta, #shavuos

Shavuos is coming! Bring on the dairy! ( Not for my poor husband, but for everyone else..!).

I made these Mac & Cheese cups a few months ago, completely forgot to blog about them, and now is the perfect time to share them with you! I was never a big homemade macaroni and cheese person. Wacky Mac is, was, and always will be the best in my opinion. But since I had a child, and decided I didn’t want to fill his belly with what can only be described as delicious chemicals in a box, I have been sticking to homemade mac & cheese.

If you follow me, you know that from time to time I love making things in miniature. They’re so cute and fun to eat, and aesthetically pleasing meals taste that much better.  So here you go! My Mac & Cheese cups, perfect for Shavuos!

Mac & Cheese cups:

2-2 1/2 cups uncooked spiral pasta ( Elbow works just as well if not better, but I only had spiral)

1 tablespoon butter or margarine

1 egg, beaten

1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup milk

1/2 cup thawed frozen broccoli chunks

1 cup bread crumbs

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried parsley

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease muffin tins with cooking spray and set aside. In a small bowl, stir together 1/2  cup bread crumbs, olive oil, salt and parsley.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, Add the pasta and cook for 7-9 minutes. Drain and return to the pan.

3. Stir in the butter and egg until combined. Reserve half a cup of mozzarella cheese and put aside. Add the rest of the mozzarella cheese, cheddar cheese, milk, broccoli, 1/2 cup breadcrumbs and 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the pasta. Spoon into prepared muffin tins. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella cheese and breadcrumbs mixture over Mac & Cheese cup tops.

4. Bake for 30 minutes, or until topping is nicely browned. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.

ENJOY!

Dr. Oz inspired dinner. Lentil salad and lettuce-turkey wrap.

Tags

#droz, #lentils, #lentilsalad, #lettucewrap, #lowcalmeal, #salad, #turkeywrap

Quick post today. Over the weekend I was reading Good Housekeeping, one of my guilty pleasures, and on the cover was one of my favorite “celebrity” doctors, Dr. Oz. In the issue he spoke about the importance of proteins and how so many people on diets are more concerned with what not to eat rather than what TO eat. There were tons of fabulous protein packed meals, and easy recipes like chicken meatballs and glazed salmon steaks. Last night I made the lentil salad, and paired it with one of Dr. Oz’s 75 calorie wraps. Super easy and super yummy. I may never eat another whole wheat wrap again!

Lettuce wrapped turkey:

1 big piece of lettuce

1 tablespoon yellow mustard

3 slices fresh turkey

No need to write the directions!

Lentil salad:

Rinse and drain 2 cups of green lentils. Add to 5 cups of hot water, and simmer for 20 minutes. Drain and set aside. Made a bed of chopped lettuce, add 1/2 cup cooked lentils to the center, and surround with diced cucumber, tomatoes, and red onion. Drizzle with your favorite light dressing.

Have a great MONDAY everyone!