Happy Insides

We are big burger fans.  There is nothing more satisfying on a summer evening than eating a juicy and delicious burger.  We don't discriminate either.  We will try almost any type of burger be it traditional or out there.  We'll eat beef, chicken, vegetarian, bison, etc. when it comes to burgers.  Also with toppings the sky is the limit.

With that said whenever we find a new burger recipe that intrigues us we know that we are going to have to give it a try.  We saw this recipe for Greek turkey burgers on The Novice Chef Blog and knew that these would be on our menu the next week.  They certainly did not disappoint.  We did a little tweaking to the recipe and turned the burgers in to chicken burgers rather than turkey just for personal preference.  We also decided that we would rather eat them in a pita than on a bun so there came the idea for mini burger patties much like falafel patties.

Greek Chicken Mini Burgers
Adapted from The Novice Chef Blog
Makes 4 Servings
12 oz. lean ground chicken
2 oz. crumbled feta cheese
1/4 c. sundried tomatoes, chopped (not packed in oil)
1/2 c. chopped fresh baby spinach leaves
1 t. oregano
1/2 t. red pepper flakes
1/2 t. garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
4 whole wheat pitas
tzatziki sauce (recipe to follow)

1) In a medium bowl mix together the all the ingredients excluding the last two.  Form the mixture into 16 mini patties about 1-2 inches in diameter.

2)  Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat.  Cook the mini burger patties about 2-3 minutes per side until cooked all the way through.

3) Meanwhile warm pitas in the oven for a few minutes.  Cut the pitas in half.  Fill each pita half with 2 mini burger patties, some tzatziki sauce and any other burger toppings you want (onion and some more spinach would be great).  Enjoy!

Tzatziki sauce
1 medium cucumber, peeled
6 oz. fat free Greek yogurt
juice of half a medium lemon
1 t. garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

1) Using a grater grate the cucumber fully.  Place the shredded cucumber in a clean tea towel or paper towels and wring out as much excess moisture as you can.

2) Mix the cucumber together with the remaining ingredients and refrigerate for about an hour before serving.

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We all have those favorite recipes from when we were growing up that just scream of childhood and the comforts of home cooking.  Then (at least if you are like Cassie) there are those dishes that you were served that used to fill you with dread and you just knew you were going to be sitting at that kitchen table forever, holding your nose and trying to choke down the prescribed number of bites left that your mom told you to eat....Wait, that didn't happen to you? 

Ok so we will admit it...Cassie was a weird kid.  She had some very strong food aversions and basically only really liked to eat tuna, fruit, cottage cheese and sprouts covered in blue cheese dressing.  There were things that she didn't hate and would eat, but that list is basically what she liked (minus desserts).  There were frequent battles around the kitchen table in her youth and many attempts at disposing of foods she was required to eat.  Chicken Pot Pie was definitely one of those "this is going to be a struggle" meals.  

Jason on the other hand was a far less picky eater than Cassie.  He pretty much ate what was made for him and didn't complain too much.  Even with that consideration Jason has never been much of fan of pot pies.  It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either.  So why did we decide to make this then?   

Chicken pot pie is one of those dishes that just screams comfort food.  It is rich, creamy, warm and usually either has some flaky pie crust or some other yummy breaded topping.  With all that going for it we saw the Eating Well recipe and decided to give it another try.  We made this for a comforting Sunday lunch and enjoyed it over and over through the week.  It will definitely be made again. 

Chicken Pot Pie with Whole Wheat Biscuit Topping
Adapted from  Eating Well
Serves 6
Filling:
3 t. canola oil, divided
1 c. onions, chopped
1 c. carrots, peeled and diced
10 oz. cremini mushrooms, quartered
1 c. butternut squash, peeled and diced
2 1/2 c. reduced sodium chicken broth, divided
1/4 c. corn starch
2 c. chicken, cooked and diced
1 c. frozen peas
1/4 c. sour cream
1/2-1 t. cayenne pepper
1/2 t. salt
black pepper to taste

For biscuit topping:
1 1/2 c. whole wheat pastry flour
2 t. evaporated cane juice or sucanat
1 1/4 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 t. dried thyme
1 1/2 T. cold butter cut into small pieces
1 c. milk +1 T. vinegar
1 T. canola oil

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Heat one teaspoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the onions and carrots and cook until they begin to soften and brown a bit, about 3 minutes.  Add in the mushrooms and squash and cook, stirring often, for another 5-7 minutes.

2)  Add in 2 cups broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and let simmer a few minutes.  Mix the remaining 1/2 c. of broth with the cornstarch.  Add this mix into the pan and cook stirring until it begins to thicken.  Add in the chicken, peas, sour cream, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper.  Transfer this mixture to a casserole dish sprayed with non-stick spray.

3) Whisk the flour, evaporated cane juice, baking powder, baking soda, salt and thyme together in a medium bowl.  Using either a pastry mixer or your fingers mix the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles fine meal.  Add in the milk mixture and the oil and stir until combined.

4) Drop the biscuit mixture on top of the filling mix in the casserole dish in 6 good sized lumps.  Place the casserole dish on a baking sheet (to avoid any overflow in the oven) and bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes until the filling is bubbly and the biscuit topping is browned.  Let cool about 5 minutes, serve and enjoy. 

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A trendy food ingredient has emerged in recent years.  This ingredient has caused some concern on our part and we could even go as far to say that we are disturbed by this trend.  Pine nuts are taking over food.  You see them topping salads, mixed in sauces, pesto is everywhere...Wait...Why is this disturbing?

Well it is only really disturbing if you are like Cassie and have severe allergy to pine nuts.  One bite or drop of cross contamination sparks a pretty nasty reaction that can last for days and often leads to a trip to the Emergency Room.  It also makes eating out at restaurants that use pine nuts slightly dangerous.  Cross contamination is a big issue in those busy kitchens for people with severe food allergies.  Plus there are so many really yummy looking recipes out there that call for pine nuts!  At least with those recipes we aren't afraid to take them on and either omit the pine nuts completely or sub them out for another nut.  That is the case with these really yummy Swiss Chard Lasagna Roll-ups that we made.  We used walnuts in place of the pine nuts and it made for a really satisfying meal.

Swiss Chard Lasagna Roll-ups
Adapted from Leslie Sarna
Serves 4-6
12 oz. ground chicken
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 medium onion, chopped

12 Swiss Chard Leaves, washed and the stalks removed
3 c. prepared tomato sauce (jarred or homemade)
15 oz. part skim ricotta cheese
1/3 c. golden rasins
1/3 c. walnuts
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese, shredded and divided
1/2 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided
salt and pepper

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare a casserole for your oven by spraying it with olive oil cooking spray.  Spoon about 1/2 a c. of the tomato sauce into the bottom of the casserole dish to cover it. 

2) Brown ground chicken in a medium skillet over medium heat with the onion and the 2 minced garlic cloves.  When it is cooked through, drain the meat and set aside to cool slightly.

3) In a medium to large bowl combine the ricotta, raisins, walnuts, 1/4 c. of the Parmesan and 1/4 c. of the Mozzarella.  Once the chicken has cooled a little mix it in with the cheese mixture.  Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

4)  To prepare the roll-ups take 1 chard leaf and spoon about 1/3 c. of the mixture on to one end of the leaves.  Roll it up in the leaves tucking the sides in (like a burrito) to keep the filling inside the chard leaves and then place into the casserole dish.  Do this to all 12 leaves.  You may have some filling leftover.  Pour the remaining sauce over the roll-ups and then sprinkle the remaining Parmesan and mozzarella on top.

5) Bake in the oven about 20-25 minutes until the cheese is melted and beginning to brown.

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One of the things we are trying to do in 2011 is to shop our pantry before we plan meals and make a grocery list so we can use items we already have and avoid buying items that we didn't really need to begin with.  When searching through our pantry this particular week we came across 1/2 a package of whole wheat macaroni and some frozen peas.  We set to work thinking about what we could make with these and in our brains blossomed this idea for a pasta salad with chicken and peas.  What resulted from this little idea was a great weeknight meal that was quick to throw together and very delicious.

Chicken, Pea and Pasta Salad
A Jason and Cassie Original
Makes 4 servings


8 oz. dried whole wheat pasta, preferably a small pasta like macaroni
5 oz. frozen peas
2 slices whole grain bread (we used sprouted multigrain bread
5 T. olive oil, divided
3 T. balsamic vinegar
1/2 t. oregano
1/2 t. basil
1/2-1 t. red pepper flakes
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese, shredded
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, baked and cubed. 
Salt and pepper

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Add pasta and cook till al dente.  When the pasta is just done, throw the peas into the pot with the pasta.  Let sit for about 30 seconds and then drain.  Place in a large serving bowl.

2)  Take slices of bread and cut into small cubes.  Toss with 1 T. olive oil and salt and pepper.  Line bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for about 5 minutes until golden and crunchy.

3) Meanwhile make the dressing by combining 4 T. of olive oil, the balsamic vinegar, oregano, basil, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl.  Set aside.  Let this sit together for at least 10 minutes so the flavors can combine.

4) In the bowl with the pasta and peas add the chicken, dressing and Parmesan cheese.  Refrigerate until cool.  This can be made ahead of time up to this point.  The salad is actually better when it has sat together for a few hours.  Just before serving toss the croutons in with the rest of the salad.  Enjoy. 



 

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Recently both of us have gotten into clean eating.  Clean eating is a pretty simple concept.  You eat "real" natural food ingredients in a minimally processed state and you eat several (5-6) well balanced meals everyday.  On top of all this you reduce the amount of saturated fat and sugar in your diet.  It can be difficult to tackle some of the changes initially, but in our opinion it is well worth it.  It leaves you feeling energized and properly nourished. 

To begin researching clean eating Cassie read the book The Eat Clean Diet Recharged by Tosca Reno.  It is a really quick read and she highly recommends the book to anyone interested in eating more healthfully.  The book also has about 30 or so recipes included in it in the back.  This is where we found the recipe for the noodle bowl.  To be honest the recipe was a little poorly conceived ( for example called for way too small of a pot and we had to move the meal to a bigger pot twice), but in the end we felt like it was a good starting point for the dish and I think we ironed out most of the kinks in the recipe below. 

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We have been on a pretty big sweet potato kick lately.  It is a fairly new found love as Cassie is a reformed picky eater and was pretty sure she didn't like sweet potatoes for the longest time.  It is pretty amazing how she has gone from not liking anything to now liking just about everything. 

Anyway, back to sweet potatoes and this stew...We found this recipe and it looked like a really easy, but hearty dish for a fall evening.  It is filling and warm, but still healthy and not too heavy.  We substituted red wine and red wine vinegar for white wine and white wine vinegar because that is what we had in the house and they both added a great full flavor to the meal. 

Chicken and Sweet Potato Stew
Adapted from Eatingwell.com
Serves 4
4 bone in chicken thighs with the skins removed and trimmed of fat
2 lbs. sweet potatoes, cut into spears
1/2 lb. cremini mushrooms, sliced
6 large shallots, peeled and halved
4 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
1 c. dry red wine
2 t. chopped fresh rosemary
1 t. salt
1/2 t. ground black pepper
1 1/2 T. red wine-vinegar
1 c. low sodium chicken broth

1) Place all ingredients into a slow cooker and stir to combine.

2) Cook on low for 6-8 hours.  Remove the bones from the chicken if desired and serve warm over vegetables.

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We found this recipe one day when browsing on Annie Eats.  It looked like such a hearty and warming meal perfect for the cooling fall weather.  It is full of delicious and healthy ingredients and really leaves you feeling satisfied after the meal.  As always we added a little extra spice to this.  We forgot to buy the green chilis and the flavor of the stew was still amazing, but we still included them in the recipe because we feel they would still be a good addition and add even more flavor.

Black Bean, Chicken and Roasted Pepper Stew
From Kayln's Kitchen found via Annie Eats

2 T. olive oil, divided
2-3 chicken breasts, cut into chunks
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 15 oz. cans black beans drained
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
2-3 bell peppers, roasted and cut into strips (we used yellow) 
1 4oz. can diced green chilis
2 c. reduced sodium chicken stock
2 T. cumin
1 t. cayenne
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c. fresh cilantro, chopped

1)In a large Dutch oven or stockpot, heat 1 T. of the olive oil over medium high heat.  Add the chicken and cook stirring until browned and cooked through.  Transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon and set aside.

2) Heat the remaining T. of olive oil.  Add the onion and saute until tender, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for another minute. 

3)Mix in the black beans, diced tomatoes, bell peppers, green chilis, stock, cumin, and cayenne.  Return the chicken to the pot.  Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.  Allow to simmer uncovered for 45 minutes. 

4) Remove from heat.  Season with salt and pepper and stir in the fresh cilantro. 

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Doro W'et is an spicy Ethiopian chicken stew.  It is a very good and filling meal.  We stumbled across it one day while looking in our cookbook "A World of Curries" by Dave Dewitt and Arthur Pais.  We have made this several times in the past, but seemed to have forgotten about it recently.  That was until Cassie started looking at the round 2 entries for Project Food Blog on FoodBuzz.  In those entries she saw several entries for this dish and our hunger for it was rekindled.  The original recipe calls for bone in chicken pieces, but we have made it with both bone in and boneless chicken and we feel like the recipe really works best with boneless chicken.  It is just easier to eat so we noted this in the recipe below.  The recipe for berbere below makes about 1.5 cups worth.  You only need 1/4 c. for the stew, but this will keep well in the refrigerator for about a month and can be used in other curries.    

Doro W'et
Adapted from "A World of Curries" by Dave Dewitt and Arthur Pais

Berbere: 
1 t. ground cardamom
2 t. cumin seeds
1/2 t. coriander seeds
1/4 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t. whole black peppercorns
1/2 t. fenugreek seeds
1 small onion, coarsley chopped
4 cloves garlic peeled
1 c. water
14 small dried hot red chiles, seeds and stems removed
1 T. cayenne
2 T. paprika
1/2 t. ground ginger
1/4 t. allspice
1/4 t. nutmeg
1/4 t. ground cloves
3 T. dry red wine
3 T. vegetable oil

1) Toast the cardamom, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, peppercorns and fenugreek in a hot skillet, shaking constantly, for a couple of minutes, untl they start to toast and gain aroma.  Grind the spices to form a powder.

2) Combine the onion, galric and 1/2 c. water in a food processor or blender and puree until smooth.  Add the toasted spice powder, chiles, cayenne, paprika, ginger, allspice, nutmeg and cloves.  Continue to blend.  Slowly add the remaining 1/2 c. water, wine and oil and blend until smooth.

3) Place sauce n a saucepan and simmer for 15 minutes to blend falvors and thicken.

Doro We't:
2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken (breasts or thighs will work)
3 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 large onion, chopped
2 c. garlic peeled and minced
2 T. butter
1/4 c. berbere
2 T. paprika
2 t. ground ginger
1 t. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 t. ground cardamom
1/4 t. nutmeg
2 c. water
4 hard-boiled eggs, left whole

1) Cut chicken into small bite sized pieces.  Rub the chicken with the lemon juice and let it marinate, covered, for 30 minutes at room temperature.

2) Saute the onion and the garlic in the butter until browned.  Add the berbere, paprika and remaining spices, and saute for 2-3 minutes.

3) Add the chicken with its marinade to the pan and toss to coat.  Stir in enough of the 2 c. water to form a thick sauce.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

4) Using a fork poke holes all over the eggs, then add them to the stew.  Cover again and simmer for an additional 15 minutes.

Serve the Doro W'et over a piece of crusty bread.

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This dish is so delicious.  Now most people would read that the chicken is cooked in bacon grease and automatically put this dish in the "better not eat" category.  Now normally we would agree, but this uses only 1 slice of bacon.  That is only about 45 calories and that 1 slice packs a serious flavor punch!  Not only is this dish tasty, but it is relatively easy too.  We frequently make this dish on Thursday nights.  Why Thursdays?  Well Thursday nights seem to be the nights that we are most likely to not want to cook and just order pizza.  That always leaves us feeling gross and wishing we hadn't  This is so good that we look forward to cooking and eating.  The thought of pizza never enters out mind.  We served this with some steamed summer squash and brown rice.  

Caraway Chicken Breasts with Sweet-and-Sour Cabbage
 Adapted from February 2010 Bon Appetit Magazine
Makes 2 servings 
1 t. caraway seeds
1/2 t. ground allspice, divided
2 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
1 slice thick cut applewood-smoked bacon
3 c. thinly sliced red cabbage
1/2 c. sliced shallots
1/2 c. low-sodium chicken broth
2 1/2 T. balsamic vinegar
1 T. sucanat

1) Sprinkle caraway and 1/4 t. allspice on both sides of chicken breasts and then sprinkle with salt and pepper

2) Cook bacon until crisp in a skillet over medium heat.  Transfer to a plate.   Chop bacon.

3) Add chicken to drippings in skilled.  Sautee until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side.  Transfer to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.

4) Add the cabbage, shallots, broth, vinegar, sucanat, and 1/4 t. allspice to the skillet.  Cook over medium high heat until the liquid is reduced to glaze and the cabbage is crisp-tender.  Mix in the bacon and season with salt and pepper.  Serve.

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We have been seeing a ton of recipes for various types of lettuce wraps lately. We decided to give it a go and see if we could come up with a good recipe of our own. What resulted was a spicy and sweet meal that was definitely a crowd pleaser...or at least a Jason and Cassie pleaser. Both of us were very happy with how the meal turned out and certainly plan to make it again. You cook the chicken ahead of time in the crock pot making this meal not only really tasty, but also very simple.

Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Makes 4 servings
1-1.5 lbs. skinless chicken thighs (bone-in)
2 c. low sodium stock
3 T. low sodium soy sauce
2 T. rice vinegar
1 t. dried ginger
1 t. cumin
1/8 t. cayenne
1 t. sucanat
1 T. canola oil
1 c. mushrooms diced
1 c. green bell peppers diced
1/2 c. carrots diced
2 cloves garlic minced
1 c. cooked brown rice
1 T. all natural peanut butter
2 T. Siracha
1 T. rice vinegar
1 T. low sodium soy sauce
8-12 large romaine lettuce leaves cleaned and dried

1) in the morning ahead of time put the first 8 ingredients into the crock pot and let cook on low for 8 hours. Chicken should be moist and will shred easily. Remove the bones and shred the chicken.

2) heat canola oil in a medium pan and saute the mushrooms, bell pepper, carrots and garlic until tender.

3) Meanwhile whisk together the peanut butter, Siracha, rice vinegar and soy sauce.

4) Add the rice and chicken to the pan with the vegetables and mix well. Add the sauce and heat for a minute.

5) Serve the chicken and rice mixture on a plate with 2-3 lettuce leaves per person.

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One day at work Cassie noticed a stack of discarded Food Network Magazines and decided to grab them to see if there were any hidden jewels. Among them we found a recipe for these Chicken Salad pitas that sounded like a great, fresh, summer dinner. We decided to go ahead and make them this week. After the grocery shopping had been done, we realized that we'd forgotten to get pitas from the store. An oversight for sure, but not one that we let get in the way of our meal. We are both pretty adept at making bread like recipes for things like tortillas, nan and pizza dough. We have most bread recipe staples in our pantry so we hit the internet and found a great recipe for Whole Wheat pitas to go with it.

The pita recipe is an Emeril Lagasse recipe that we found on the Planet Green Website. Give yourself about 2.5-3 hours before you want to eat to make the pitas as they need time to rise. Other than the rising time they are very simple and delicious.

Whole Wheat Pitas
1 1/2 c. warm water
1 package (2 1/4 t.) active dry yeast
1 1/2 T. extra virgin olive oil + 1t.
1/2 t. honey
3 c. whole wheat flour +more for dusting
2 t. salt (I probably only used 1 t.)

1) Pour water into a bowl. Add yeast olive oil and honey. Allow yeast to bloom until it begins to foam, about 5 minutes. Add the flour and salt. Knead dough for about 5 minutes until round smooth and elastic. I used our Kitchenaid mixer with the dough hook, but by hand would work fine as well. Grease the bottom of a clean bowl with olive oil and press the dough into the bottom greasing the entire ball of dough. Cover the dough and sit aside in a relatively warm place. Allow dough to rise for 2 hours till it has doubled in size.

2) Transfer the dough to a clean work surface and knead it by hand until it is round and smooth. Divide the dough into 16 2 ounce balls. Cover and allow to rise for another 20 minutes.

3) Pre-heat the oven to 500 degrees and place an overturned baking sheet or a baking stone on the middle rack.

4) When the dough is done rising roll out the dough on a clean work surface that is dusted with more flour. Each pita should be about 6 inches in diameter. Place as many pitas onto the baking pan in the oven and allow to bake for about 2 minutes until it starts to bubble. Remove with a metal spatula and repeat with the remaining dough.

5) Serve warm or room temperature.

Chicken Salad Pita with Baba Ghanoush
Adapted from Food Network Magazine
2 T. apple cider vinegar
1 sprig rosemary leaves
3-4 leaves of fresh basil chopped
3/4 t. red pepper flakes
2 T. canola oil
2 cloves garlic minced.
Kosher salt or sea salt
1 T. olive oil
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 c. grape tomatoes halved
1 cucumber chopped
Fresh ground black pepper
4 pocketless pitas
1/2 c. baba ghanoush
2 c. coarsely chopped romaine lettuce or spinach

1) Whisk the vinegar, rosemary, basil, oil, red pepper flakes, garlic and salt to taste a shallow dish. Add the chicken and let marinate for at least 30 minutes
2) Mix the tomatoes, cucumbers salt and pepper in a bowl. Drizzle with 1 T. of olive oil
3) Grill Chicken until cooked through 2-3 minutes per side. Cut into 1/2 inch thick strips. Toss with the vegetables.
4) Place a pita on each plate. Brush with baba ghanoush. Top with lettuce and the chicken salad.

This really was a very enjoyable meal and we will definitely be making this again. Hope you enjoy it.

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This meal was a quick and easy way to finish off our lazy Sunday. Everything about it was tasty, from the chicken broth (which we didn't make from scratch this time, but used some good organic stock out of a carton), to the egg and chicken combination. We've never been able to successfully make egg drop soup. After following this recipe and having it turn out we realized that it's good to have more egg white than egg yoke and to not mix it together fully. This is another great recipe from Eating Well that Cassie found online. We've only just discovered this goldmine of delicious recipes, so bear with us as the next few posts may also come from them. We promise to post some of our own recipes or ones from other sources soon.

Japanese Chicken-Scallion Rice Bowl
from Eating Well April/May 2005
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/japanese_chicken_scallion_rice_bowl.html

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