Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo

This recipe comes from a back issue of Bon Appetit, I found the recipe on Epicurious.com.  I typed in "chicken and broccoli" and found this recipe to be appealing.  I got to use my new Le Creuset Dutch (or was it French) Oven that I got for my birthday!  I was excited to use it (if you couldn't tell my the exclamation mark) and I like it a lot more than my non-stick cookware.  The only down side to Le Creuset is you have to be very careful when cleaning them (as you would with any enameled cookware), but you can use them anywhere, on top of the stove and in the oven up to 800 degrees.  I don't know what food substances need an 800 degree temperature, or even if my oven goes up to 800, but if you find some, let me know.  I'm very curious.

Anyway, this was our dinner last night, and it was very easy to make, and it came out delicious.  I haven't been eating a lot of pasta lately, so while eating this dinner, I was getting really full fast.  I also think we used brown rice penne, which to me, is more filling.

Here's what you'll need:

• 4 to 5 cups broccoli florets (1 large bunch)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut crosswise into 1/2 inch strips
• 1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 2/3 cups whipping cream
• 1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
• 3/4 pound penne or mostaccioli, freshly cooked

First cook the penne, while slicing chicken, pepper, and broccoli.  Set aside when finished.

Steam florets for about 3 minutes.  Preheat broiler.  I set mine to high, but I think  lower setting would be better.

Butter a 13x9x2" baking dish.  Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy large Dutch oven over medium high heat.  Working in batches, saute chicken strips until just cooked through, about 4 minutes.

Transfer to a bowl.  Add pepper slices and saute until just tender, about 5 minutes.

Add whipping cream, 1 cup Parmesan and all Monterey Jack cheese.  Simmer until sauce thickens slightly, about 5 minutes.

Add chicken, pasta, steamed broccoli and toss until sauce coats mixture, 3 minutes.  Season to taste if you wish.

Transfer to dish and sprinkle with the 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese.  Broil until just golden on top, about 3 minutes, and serve.

Enjoy! 

Penzeys Chicken and Broccoli with Raspberry Enlightenment

 Hey all!  Hope everybody's weekend is going well, and I'd like to wish all my Jewish readers (whoever that might be) a Happy New Year.  In case you didn't know, to those who don't practice Judaism, Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown tonight. 

When I received this month's Penzeys catalog, it was dedicated to their Raspberry Enlightenment, which isn't a spice, it's a jam.  There were many recipes featuring this jam as an ingredient in a wide variety of food.  A lot of them were dinner/lunch recipes that featured it.  I would never have thought you could put a raspberry jam on a cheeseburger, chicken or green veggies like asparagus and broccoli.  When I made the chicken and broccoli recipe on Thursday evening, I was pleased by the outcome, and so was my husband.

I also just want to say "sorry" for the blurry pictures, I usually take pictures from my iPad using Evernote.  Since the lighting in my kitchen is bad when the sun goes down, this is the best my iPad can do.  I'll try to used a camera when it's darker out next time.


What you'll need for the Chicken with Raspberry Enlightenment:

2 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
1/2 tsp. Ground Pepper (I used Penzeys, and it did make a difference in taste as compared to my table pepper.)
1/4 tsp. Granulated Garlic Powder (Again I used Penzeys, I'm not sure if there was that much of a difference though.)
1/4 tsp. Powdered Ginger (I used the one that came with my spice rack.)
1/4 tsp. Thyme (From my spice rack.)
1/4 tsp. Kosher-Style Flake Salt (I just used regular sea salt, which is flaky.)
1 TB. Olive Oil
1 TB. Raspberry Enlightenment
1 tsp. Soy Sauce

What you'll need for the Broccoli with Raspberry Enlightenment:

3 Cups cut broccoli
2 tsp. Olive Oil
1 tsp. Raspberry Enlightenment
1/2 tsp. Mural of Flavor (One of my favorite Penzeys Spices.)


First, rinse the chicken and pat dry.  Season with pepper, garlic, ginger, thyme, and salt.  Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large heavy pan.  Cook the chicken breasts for 10-12 minutes, depending on how thick the breasts are, turning every few minutes so the chicken is browned on both sides.

While the chicken is cooking, cook the broccoli in a pan with 1/2-inch of boiling water until done, 3 minutes or so, depending on how soft you like it.  It will continue to soften a bit after cooking.

  Drain the broccoli very well.  Return the pot to the stove over medium heat and add the olive oil.  When hot, add the broccoli and then drizzle with Raspberry Enlightenment.  Sprinkle with Mural of Flavor, toss and serve.


Just before removing the chicken from the pan, take the pan off the heat and drizzle the chicken with Raspberry Enlightenment and of soy sauce, turning to coat both sides.  Serve with broccoli.

I realize that the chicken doesn't look evenly coated but I kept turning all the pieces over to get an even coat.

You can serve this dish over rice as well.  Enjoy! 

Spaghetti with Fresh Veggies

Ok, this recipe didn't come as one of the step-by-step recipes I usually blog about.  This recipe did come from a cookbook, but it wasn't listed as one of the big recipes in the book.  It came from Chapter Three under, "Perfect your pasta," in The New Abs Diet Cookbook.  The guy that wrote this book wrote the Eat This Not That! books, as well as my favorites, Cook This Not That!  And yes, he also wrote The Abs Diet books.  I started to read one of the books for women on my iPad.  It made a lot of sense and it sounded like a lot of things my trainer has been telling me all along. 

So, here is how to "perfect your pasta:" 

1.  Heat 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add 2 garlic cloves, sliced thin, and toast lightly.  Next add vegetables chopped into bite-size pieces.  I used asparagus, broccoli, and mushrooms.  You can also use artichokes, zucchini, parsnips, Swiss chard, and cauliflower as the book lists.  Cook for 10 minutes until caramelized.  Season with salt and pepper.  I also used Penzeys' Pasta Sprinkle.

2.  Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.  Add 8 ounces of dried spaghetti (just use your the space between your thumb and pointer finger to measure and that should be enough) and cook for 1 minute less than the shortest time listed on the package.

3.  Drain the pasta, reserving a cup of the cooking water.  Toss the pasta in the pan with the vegetables and cook for 30 seconds.

If the pasta is dry, add a bit of the cooking water.  Toss in chopped fresh parsley, basil, and oregano (or used dried, it works fine too) and serve with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (or with what you like). 

 The dinner turned out very yummy and I was happy knowing it was healthy.  :-)