mo'rockin chicken + veg couscous

When I met Chris, I was NOT an adventurous eater. I stuck to chicken cutlets, pasta dishes, and burgers. When we starting dating, he forced me to try new things and I'm so glad that he did. 

We LOVE vacationing in Disney World, we spend majority of our time in Epcot, traveling from country to country, sipping on wine and beers from around the world and trying new foods from Mexico, Japan and Morocco. I'm sure it's not close the to real thing, but when you're there it seems so real, not to mention it's super convenient to continent hop that way! Anyway, we tried Moroccan food for the first time there, and we've been hunting for a similar plate up here. 

I found it... it's at Savory Spice Shop and Dreyer's. 

While at the Food Demo a few weeks ago, I picked up one of Savory Spice Shop's RECIPES TO GO. They come in these little packs with all the spices that you need. I grabbed the Moroccan Chicken Skewers with Herb Sauce. All I needed to add was the chicken, mint and cilantro. Chris took one bite and immediately exclaimed, "This is the best dinner you've ever made." Not only is this delicious  but it's SO EASY! The measuring is done for you and all of your ingredients are in front of you ready to sing! I added the veggie couscous because I had all of these beautiful veggies! 

Moroccan Chicken Skewers with Herb Sauce + Veggie Couscous 

Ingredients for chicken:

• 3 Tbsp. Tan-Tan Moroccan Seasoning
• 3 x boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1" cubes
• 5 x skewers (8"), soak for 1 hour if wooden

•  Herb sauce:

• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
• 1/2 cup fresh spearmint leaves
• 1/4 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 Tbsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 Tbsp. Kosher salt
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 1/2 tsp. honey
• 1/2 cup olive oil

Cous-Cous:

Pick and Choose-

1 Box of Plain Cous-Cous

Summer Squash

Carrots 

Onion 

Eggplant

Mushroom

Greens

Tomatoes 

Olive Oil 

Salt + Pepper 

Garlic 

Directions:

Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Put cubed chicken in a bowl and toss with Tan-Tan Moroccan Seasoning to coat. Place the chicken on the skewers and lay on the grill. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through, turning often so that the spices don’t burn. For the herb sauce, add the fresh herbs, spices, lime juice, and honey to a blender carafe. Blend to combine and slowly add the olive oil with the motor running. Once combined, taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

Slice and dice veggies as you wish, coat in olive oil & fresh chopped garlic, salt and pepper, roast in the oven for about 45 min. at 400 degrees. Cook the couscous according to package, and then mix it allllll together.

*Please note, it was pouring that day, so I didn't grill...

Get it done.. 

                                 

Kitchen Sink Pizza

As August rushes by I am finding it harder and harder to keep up! 

At last weeks lovely cooking demo, a lot of people were saying they were having a hard time using all of their veggies. Last year I found myself in the same boat, it is such a shame when something goes bad! I came up with this little number last summer, and you can use a TON of your veggies. The first time I made it, it was so delicious that I made it again the following week...and although we ate the pizza, that night ended with the fire department blowing carbon monoxide out of my house at 3am because I left the burner on (oooooooops....). I was frustrated because I had burnt the first crust, and by then it was already 9pm and I was exhausted from a long day at camp, I think we ended up eating at 11pm that night. Needless to say I am much safer in the kitchen because of that night. 

You will need: 

Any veggie you'd like! 

I use...

2 Zucchini and/or Summer Squash 

Eggplant 

Kale 

Tomato 

Onion

1 Bag of Shredded Mozzarella Cheese 

1/4 cup of Parmesan Cheese 

Olive Oil

Fresh Garlic

Garlic Powder 

Salt + Pepper 

Pizza Dough 

(If I have them sometimes I will add potato, mushrooms, or peppers)

First add olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper to roughly chopped eggplant. Roast the eggplant in the oven at about 400 degrees for about 20-30 minutes. I leave the skin on.

Caramelize those onions baby! Chop/Slice them anyway you'd like. Remove from pan.

I add the zucchini to the same pan as the onion to get some of that yummy sweet brown onion sweetness.I saute sliced zucchini in olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Remove from pan.

Saute the Kale in olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic last (in the same pan as onion/zucchini)! It only takes about 3 minutes. 

(YES...YOU MAKE A MESS)

Next, roll out the pizza dough. Bake the crust at 425 degrees for about 10 minutes. 

Take out the crust and...

First goes the kale bed. 

Next the onion, I like it to be a surprise under the other veggies. 

Now the sliced Zucchini. 

Chopped Eggplant goes next. 

Cheese. Cheese. Cheese. 

Bake it for another 5 minutes. 

Fresh tomato on the top! 

(not on my side though...yeah yeah I know...the summer chef doesn't eat tomatoes...)

Salt, Pepper, Garlic, Red Pepper Flake, Fresh Basil to taste.

You have a hearty, tasty, healthy-ish (you use a LOT of O.O.), fresh, funky pizza. 

And now you have to clean it up...since you've used everything but the kitchen sink.

Zucchini Brownies?

Yes, it happened... I took a vegetable and made it chocolaty, thanks to good old Betty Crocker.

Fair warning, they do come out a bit spongey. 

1 box Betty Crocker®  brownie mix
1/4cup butter, melted
2 eggs
1 cup shredded zucchini

Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Spray bottom only of 8- or 9-inch square pan with cooking spray (without flour).
In medium bowl, stir brownie mix, 1/4 cup butter, the eggs and zucchini until well blended (batter will be thick). Spread batter in pan.
Bake 33 to 38 minutes or until toothpick inserted 2 inches from side of pan comes out almost clean. Cool completely in pan on cooling rack, about 1 hour 30 minutes.

The good news is if you eat an entire pan of brownies, you technically ate one small zucchini... no? 

Check out my oven action shot! 

Pesto Change-o!

I'm going camping this weekend! Hooray! 

Don't get too excited, it's more like glamping, we have a cabin....with a ceiling fan... 

Growing up my Grandfather and Father took my brother, sister and I camping every summer. We LOVED it. My Grandfather would share stories about how he wrestled a bear, my brother would believe him, I would swing from a rope that was attached to this gigantic tree that swung over a river. Camping is simplicity at its finest. If you ask my Dad to explain camping he says, "You wake up, make breakfast, clean up and by the time you're done with that you make lunch, you clean up, play cards, and then you have to prep and make dinner before the sun goes down. Next you put everything in the car so the bears don't find us." Camping Coffee is also a family favorite, it takes about 2 hours to make, but it's the best coffee you'll ever have. It's pretty much the only reason my husband tolerates camping.  

My basil this week was just stunning and I came home tonight from that AWESOME cooking demo, inspired to make a lil somthin for camping.

Basil Pesto Cream Cheese Dip

The pesto is a simple recipe from Food Network.

Ingredients

2 cups packed fresh basil leaves

2 cloves garlic

1/4 cup pine nuts

2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino cheese

Directions

Combine the basil, garlic, and pine nuts in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add 1/2 cup of the oil and process until fully incorporated and smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

If using immediately, add all the remaining oil and pulse until smooth. Transfer the pesto to a large serving bowl and mix in the cheese.

If freezing, transfer to an air-tight container and drizzle remaining oil over the top. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw and stir in cheese

When all is said and done, add 1 8oz. package of Cream Cheese and add some whole pine nuts, and ta-da...
You have a Pesto Cream Cheese Dip!
It's perfect for Pita Chips, Pizza Dough, Peppers, Carrots, any dippers! 

 

Zucchini Bread

I feel that Sweet Brown herself said it best, 

I know she was taking about a fire, but she could have very well been referencing Zucchini Bread. 

If you don't know who Sweet Brown is you're in for a treat. 

Sweet Brown Original

Sweet Brown Remix

I have never before, and never will again sift 3 cups of flour. Nor am I grating 3 cups of zucchini. I will leave baking up to adorable pastry chefs and my sister in-law. As much as I love science, (teaching science is my fav!), it's too specific for me, there are too many rules in baking.

It's tasty. I'm just mad at it because it was more work than I was looking for.

 I'll get over it. 

3 cups all-purpose flour

 1 teaspoon salt

 1 teaspoon baking soda

 1 teaspoon baking powder

 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon (I used baking spice from Savory Spice Shop Instead)

 3 eggs

 1 cup vegetable oil

 2 1/4 cups white sugar

 3 teaspoons vanilla extract

 2 cups grated zucchini

 1 cup of walnuts 

Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.

Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.

Fancy Butter

                                                     

Except it is real butter Fabio....compound butter.

When I was a kid, it wasn't officially summer until Dreyer's had corn. My mother would go to her beloved Dryer's farm everyday and pick up enough corn to feed the neighborhood. My Mimi (grandmother) would come over and help me husk...because I hate husking corn. I still hate it, but today I would give ANYTHING to have one more husking session with my Mimi. 

This was way too easy NOT to make. Not only did Dreyer's give me gorgeous corn, but Savory Spice Shop gave us that awesome Paremesan Pesto spice pack. I saw the recipe in the Gazzette and had to try.

You'll need:

 4 Tbsp. of room temperature butter. 

1 Tbsp. of Parmesan Pesto

As much corn as you can eat.

Instructions: Mix first 2 ingredients. Spread it on the corn. Enjoy!

When you've completed phase 1 and phase 2, which are VERY complicated....you have a really tasty compound butter and corn that was already amazing is now unbelievably good!I feel as if someone came over for dinner and saw my homemade compound butter they would think, "Oh! How fancy! I can't believe she took the time to do that!" But really it's the easiest thing ever soooooo the joke's on them.

 Make it happen...

-Laura

Eggplant & Sausage Pizza

Hey Vegheads, 

I just spent the week in the Finger Lakes drinking wine and eating some really yummy food, but yesterday we were catapulted back in to reality. After about 5 hours in the car we pulled in to the driveway I realized I only had a half hour to pick up my Farm box! I rushed over and met the lovely Dawn, picked a Purple Sage herb plant and went on my merry way. I was too tired to cook, and it was wayyyyy too hot, but the Eggplant was looking at me and after all I am the summer chef and it's hot in the summer...all the time. I had no excuses. So I channeled the winter within and thought of a snowy night in February when some friends of ours took us to Bivio in Little Falls. They have this beautiful custom pizza oven and I ate this ridiculous Eggplant and Sausage Pizza. Even though your oven will be on high, your pizza eaters will say, "cool!" ... no?.... it's still too freakin hot. 

For this pizza you will need: 
1 pizza dough from your local grocery store. 
1/2 can of Cento Pizza Sauce 
1 Medium Eggplant 
4 links of Italian Sausage 2 Sweet, 2 Hot (You can mix and match or use what you like)
1 Package of Part-Skim Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil 
1/2 cup of flour for rolling out the dough 
Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder, Basil 

First I chop up the eggplant, drizzle it with 2 Tbsp. of olive oil over it, season it with salt pepper and garlic powder to taste and roast it in the oven for about 30 minutes at 400 degrees. 

While the Eggplant is roasting... 

Take the sausage out of the casing and brown the crumbles over medium/high heat.Should take about 10 minutes.
Roll out your room tempertaure dough using flour. 
Place on baking sheet or pizza stone.
Sauce the dough with about 1/2 can of Cento Pizza Sauce. 
Season sauce with a layer of garlic powder (we love it). 

Once the Eggplant and Sausage is done...

Go back and raise your oven temp to 475. Warning! Your oven may be different. My husband and I have tested our oven with many pizza's and we've found that this temperature works for us. Make a bunch of pizza's and get to know your oven... 

Spread about 1/4 of the Eggplant on top of the sauce. 
Add the full bag of cheese. 
Add remainder of Eggplant and top off with sausage. 
Salt, Pepper, Basil to taste. 

Bake in the oven for about 12 minutes. Make sure your pizza is on the center rack  so that the center gets all crispy. 

This pizza is hearty and spicy, but then the Eggplant is creamy and the cheese is gooey! It's crunchy and just delicious. You really can have it all!

Coming soon... a guest spot from the Summer Sommelier (Chris, my hubs)!

Thanks for reading, eat your veggies=)

-Laura

Colonel Mustard in the Kitchen with a Knife

See what I did here? My font is mustard... 

I'm not going to lie... I had to do some research about these Mustard Greens. I knew nothing about them, are they the same thing as collard greens? Are they something skinny people put in their green shakes? Who eats them anyway? As much as I consider myself a foodie, I try and stick to typical greens such as kale, spinach, Romain, and if we want to get a little crazy I'll even go for some swiss chard. Needless to say these mustard greens were going to be a stretch. 

Turns out these leaves have great health benefits. They originally made their way over from India, and eventually into southern kitchens during the time of slavery as a substitute for other greens. They are packed full of antioxidants, help fight cancer, aide with anti-inflammatory and lower cholesterol and have other cardiovascular benefits....who knew...  (now all of this research was done on the interwebs so it's definitely true.)

So now I'm looking for recipes and I come across one were the first ingredient is bacon, so naturally I decide to make this one... 

Ingredients
4 slices bacon, chopped
3 bunches mustard greens, trimmed and chopped
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
Coarse salt
2 cups chicken broth
Directions
In a large skillet over medium high heat brown bacon and render its fat. Add chopped greens to the pan in batches and turn until they wilt, then add more greens. When all of the greens are in the pan, add vinegar and cook a minute. Season greens with sugar and salt. Add chicken broth to the pan and cover. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer greens 15 to 20 minutes then serve.


Turns out it's from Ms. Rachel Ray herself, some days I love her, some days I don't, today I question her vinegar choices. 

I tasted the greens raw and they actually have this great peppery flavor to them. Too bad I braised the crap out of them with too much vinegar, otherwise this would have been great. It should also be noted I used turkey bacon.I suggest to cut back on the vinegar or perhaps substitute it with apple cider vinegar instead. Today I have failed as the mustard green queen, but there is always next week. Bottom line, this recipe needs tweaking, but the mustard greens have potential.

Here's to hoping my chicken marinade saves the day later. 

Eat on...

-Laura 

No more pencils, no more books!

I'm going to do my best to stay sane this summer as I find myself in a summer of transition. I'm a first grade teacher changing school districts, I'm a wife selling our home and I'm a dog Mom adjusting our new pup, but my favorite title of the summer is Chef. 

I love food,  I love to eat and I truly enjoy cooking (during the summer, during the school year I'm no fun). During the summer my husband and I join the local farm's CSA program. We pick up a fresh box of fruits and veggies every Tuesday. Most of the time there are ingredients in the box that I have never used before. I'm going to challenge myself in a "Chopped" fashion to use everything in the box. I will research recipes, try recipes from the farm, make up my own fancy recipes, and some weeks keep it simple on the grill. 

Dreyer Farms in Cranford, NJ has completely inspired my inner Summer Chef and my hope is to come out of this summer a better home cook with new techniques and a better handle on some of these fresh ingredients! 

Dreyer Farms
Savory Spice Shop

This Tuesday (June 25) we were given: 
Zucchini 
Cucumber 
Tomato
Blueberries 
Leeks 
Mustard Greens 
Basil 
Broccoli 
Lettuce 
Homestead Spice Pack from Savory Spice Shop in Westfield, NJ. 

My plans for today are to make my own pesto, eat fresh blueberries, find a recipe for a yummy cheese sauce for the broccoli and figure out these mustard greens! 

Stay cool.

-Laura