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! 

Chicken Fajitas

One of my New Year's resolutions was to post more on my blog, sorry that hasn't been happening.  I've been very busy and I'm only going to get busier starting next week when I go back to college.  I'm going to try to blog at least one new recipe a week, whether it's dinner, a snack or even a smoothie.  Between school and my weekly skating/roller derby stuffs going on, my husband might be in charge of dinner most week nights.  I'll be here on the week ends though.

I forgot to mention that one of my holiday gifts that my mom and mother-in-law got me were some attachments to my Kitchen Aide stand mixer.  One is a pasta maker, another is a grinder.  The pasta maker is what I'm most excited about because my mom used to have one when I was a young kid.  She didn't have a stand mixer, but the one time she used her pasta maker, I just remember that being the best spaghetti I have ever eaten.

Now onto the chicken fajitas.  I made these last week for dinner, the recipe comes from one of my Cook This Not That! cookbooks.  I've made them before, they're simple and quick to make.  You just have to remember to marinate the chicken prior to putting it on your grill pan...which I kept forgetting to do.  So if you forget, you'll have to wait at least an hour before cooking it.

Here's what you'll need:
1/2 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons chopped chipotle pepper
juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
2 onions, sliced
8 small flour tortillas, warmed
Guacamole (optional)
Salsa (optional)
Shredded Jack or Cheddar cheese (optional)

First, combine the orange juice, chipotle, lime juice, cumin, salt, pepper in a sealable plastic bag.  Add the chicken and marinate in the fridge for an hour.

Preheat a grill or stovetop grill pan until hot.  Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard what's left in the bag.  Grill the chicken for 4 to 5 minutes per side, until lightly charred and cooked all the way through.  Let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

                                         (My husband handling the chicken.)

While the chicken cooks, heat the oil in a large cast-iron skillet over high heat.  Cook the bell peppers and onions until charred and caramelized on the outside, about 10 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

Slice the chicken into thin pieces.  For a dramatic presentation, place the chicken on top of the hot peppers in the skillet and bring the skillet sizzling to the table.  Serve with warm tortillas, guacamole, salsa, and cheese.

Enjoy! :-)

Red Pepper Alfredo

Sunday's dinner comes from one of my favorite cook books, Cook This, Not That! The No-Diet Weight Loss Solution (the one with the orange cover, Easy & Awesome 350-Calorie Meals) by the same authors of those yearly books, Eat This, Not That! (David Zinczenko & Matt Goulding).  The recipes in this book are always very simple and never take more than 30-40 minutes to make.  Oh, and they always come out delicious!  This recipe combines roasted red peppers to Alfredo sauce to make Alfredo sauce a little healthier.  I think it tastes better than regular Alfredo sauce because it's not heavy.

Here's what you'll need:
10 oz. dried fettuccine (I used spaghetti.)
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1/2 cup half and half
3/4 cup chopped bottled roasted red peppers
2 cloves garlic, halved
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Salt and black pepper to taste

First, bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  Add the pasta and cook until al dente (should be about 30 seconds to 1 minute less than the package instructions recommend).

While that's cooking, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Stir in the flour and cook for a minute, until the two are fully incorporated.

(Sorry for the dark pictures, I was using the camera on my phone and the lighting isn't good in the kitchen once the sun's gone down.)
Slowly add the milk and half and half, whisking to help prevent lumps from forming.  Add the red pepper and garlic.  Turn heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.

Pour the mixture into a blender and puree until smooth and uniform in color.  Return to the pan and stir in the Parmesan.  Season with salt and pepper and simmer until the pasta is done cooking.

Drain the pasta and add directly to the saucepan.  Toss to coat evenly and enjoy!

Grow-a-Row Day Camp Trip

I don't know if I ever mentioned what I do for a living, but I work at an after school program, and in the summers it's a six hour day camp.  I work in the inner city of Paterson, New Jersey.  The kids don't come from wealthy backgrounds and probably witness things no child should witness at any age in their neighborhoods.  During the day camp, we were provided food from New Jersey's Food Bank to serve the kids breakfast and lunch Monday-Friday.  The Food Bank offered a trip to a farm, called a "Grow-a-Row" farm.  Here's a link to learn more about what Grow-a-Row is.  The farm we went to was in Pittstown, New Jersey called Peaceful Valley Orchards.  This farm was very big, and we were there to have the kids pick their own corn and green beans.  The kids loved picking their own vegetables, some were very excited and ended up with bags too heavy for them to carry.  Hey, we warned them, "you pick it, you're carrying it." 

I brought home six ears of corn, which was very sweet corn, and many green beans.  Since I had brought some extra money, I thought I'd buy some things the farm was selling.  I bought some plums, two jars of jam, and a small cider drink.  The plums were very tiny, maybe a little bit bigger than the pits they encase.  They were also extremely juicy.  If I lived close to that farm, I know where I'd be getting my produce. 

I also mentioned I bought some jars of jam, and a bottle of cider.  The cider was peach cider, and I wished I bought more bottles, but that one bottle I bought was expensive. 

The jars of jam were worth every penny.  I have been using them on graham crackers, for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, as well as a morning English muffin or raisin cinnamon muffin.  I must  find this company and find out where they sell their products, since I don't live close to Pittstown. 

I never had a chance find a good corn recipe, so I just brought the ears over to my parents' to have for a Sunday dinner.  I did get to make a yummy vegetable medley with the green beans though. 

I cut up some zucchinis, red and yellow peppers, as well as the green beans and tossed them in some olive oil and garlic.  I think I served it as a side.  On the side of what, I can't remember.  This goes back to mid-July.