Food Friday: Mediterranean Chicken

This one is EASY! And it can easily be a one pan dish. I took the idea from a recipe in some Sonoma Diet Cookbook, but made it a lot simpler. Because who doesn't like simple, especially when it tastes good! It's also easy to make it ahead and leave it in the fridge until you're ready to cook it.

Here's what you need:

• Small bag of spinach
• 1-2 cups brown rice (Buy it precooked in the little microwavable dish and save yourself from having to cook it! There's a picture of the 'instant rice' below, and for this recipe you don't even have to microwave it.)
• 2 chicken breasts
• Garlic
• Butter
• Lemon
• Wine (completely option...but it does make for some nice juicy chicken!)
• Feta Cheese
• Pine Nuts (I always end up leaving these out because I always forget them when I grocery shop!)

Step 1. Set your oven to 375 degrees. Spray an 8x8 baking dish with Pam. Fill it with spinach. It'll look like too much, but it shrinks down like crazy so load it up!

Step 2. Put the rice on top. Then lay the chicken on top of that. Easy huh?

Step 3. Seasoning time! Spread some minced garlic on the chicken, a pat of butter, some salt & pepper, then squeeze of juice of half a lemon over the whole thing. Splash some wine on top. About 1/4 cup or so.

Step 4. Sprinkle feta and pine nuts. Cover with foil. Bake for 45-60 minutes, depending on how thick your chicken is.

Enjoy!

Food Friday: Cuban Braised Beef

Everybody loves a good slow cooker dish! I like to throw everything in the pot the night before while I'm cooking dinner, so I kill two birds with one stone and don't have to do a thing the next day besides take it from the fridge and turn it on! The Cuban Braised Beef recipe is from RealSimple.com and it's incredibly easy and straightforward. Use the link for the recipe! Two things I end up doing differently is using a 2-3 lb piece of chuck roast instead of the 1 1/2 lb of flank steak. Just because my grocery store never has flank, and I like to throw in more meat for leftovers. And I don't drain the tomatoes (there doesn't seem to be much juice in the ones I buy) and I add a can of chicken broth (I love spooning the juices onto the rice!). That was three things. Oh and when I add more meat, I don't double anything else and it tastes just as flavorful. My awesome husband dished up dinner so I neglected to take a picture! But the meat just falls apart...and don't forget the avacado, it totally makes the dish!

Food Friday: Chicken with Herb Sauce & Roasted Potatoes

Another Food Friday! I am hoping that by committing myself to posting a recipe every Friday that I might branch out on my own 'menu' at home and try some new things! And also, most of the recipes I post are geared towards two portions. Because sometimes cooking for only two people seems harder! Sometimes I double the recipe if I want leftovers for lunch, but otherwise I try to make small portions to not only save money, but to limit waste and avoid the temptation of eating more than I should!

Today's recipe is from the cookbook 'Real Simple: Meals Made Easy' which I highly recommend. Everything is simple and quick and I continually use a lot of the recipes in it.

Okay....ingredients:

• Olive Oil
• Garlic
• 1 lb Potatoes
• 2 Chicken Breasts
• 1/4 cup White Wine (I use a cheap Chardonnay)
• 2 Tbs cold Butter
• Rosemary Sprigs
• S&P

Cut potatoes into small pieces. Toss with a little olive oil, minced garlic, rosemary and S&P. Lay them out in a baking dish or pan (give them room, don't squish them too tight or they wont brown). Into the oven at 425 degrees for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, the chicken only takes about 15 minutes to cook, so don't start it right away. But put a little butter or oil into your pan and cook them up with a little garlic, S&P and the rest of the rosemary.

Once the chicken is done, put it on your plate and add the wine to pan. Simmer it for a few minutes. Then remove from heat and 2 Tbs COLD butter and whisk or stir it in until completely combined. You should have a nice silky sauce.

Serve up the potatoes next to the chicken and spoon on the sauce!

Food Friday: Pantry Pork Loin

I'm calling it Pantry Pork Loin because all the ingredients are things that I think most of us would have in our pantry on any given day. The original recipe (or something close to it) was from a Men's Health I believe.

You need: Dijon Mustard, Olive Oil, Syrup, Garlic and Salt & Pepper. Oh, and a pork loin! One small loin tends to be the perfect amount for two generous servings.

You could mix this in a bowl, but I tend to use a ziplock for easy clean-up. Precise measurements are not required, but add approximately 3T of each dijon, olive oil and syrup, and a clove or two worth of garlic. Then S&P!Cut the loin into medallions.Add the pork to the marinade and mix it up! I try to do this in the early afternoon so the flavor can soak in all day, but I also do it right before I throw it in the pan and it still tastes delicious!

Cook the pork in a saute pan or a cast iron skillet (I avoid non-stick because it doesn't brown as nicely).Flip them once they've browned on one side.And serve! We like to eat wild rice and some veges with ours, but it would go with just about any starch and vegetable. I love this recipe because of the easy prep and since I already have most of the ingredients on hand, it is inexpensive too!