Fruit Crisp

This recipe also comes from my Everyday Happy Herbivore cookbook.  I was looking for something warm to eat for breakfast on Saturday and since I'm watching my weight, I didn't want to eat too much, so pancakes and waffles were out.  This recipe was small, healthy, and delicious.  I think it would make a great snack and dessert too, especially with vanilla ice cream on top...mmmm! 

Something to remember before I give you the recipe, raspberries become very watery in the oven.  I completely forgot this happens, but I wanted more than one berry in it.  Maybe next time I'll add blackberries.  Do those become watery in the oven?

Anyway, here you go:

• 12 oz. frozen blueberries 
• 2 tablespoons raw sugar (optional, I didn't need it)
• 2/3 cup rolled oats
• 1/3 cup whole-wheat or oat flour (I used whole wheat)
• 5 tablespoons agave nectar (I used a light colored one)
• cinnamon to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place blueberries in a 10-inch baking dish, sprinkle with sugar if desired, set aside.

In a mixing bowl, whisk oats, and flour together, then add agave nectar 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring after each addition, until the mixture crumbles.  Place crumbs over blueberries and sprinkle generously with cinnamon.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the top is crisp and the fruit soft. 

Enjoy!

Peanut-Crusted Chicken Breasts with Cilantro-Garlic Sauce

Sorry for the bad lighting in all of the pictures for this post, but I have finally replaced the light bulbs in my kitchen.  For the longest time I was using only one light bulb in the ceiling fixture when I'm really supposed to have three!  I know, I'm lazy when it comes to the simplest of things.  I'd also like to apologize for not posting as often as I'd like.  I'm back in school now, and some of the classes I am taking require a lot of studying, like my Financial Accounting class.  My professor for that class thinks he's such a great teacher, but really all he does is reread from the text, and won't explain things further than that!  As for my other classes, one of them is on-line, and the other is a computer class which I thought I would hate, but so far it's my favorite.  The last class I have I still have not met with due to the class being on a Monday and classes officially started on 1/22 which was a Tuesday.  Also this past Monday, our classes were canceled because of the snow/ice storm.

Now onto the chicken recipe, also another apology, I'm on a diet and you'll probably be seeing a lot of chicken and fish recipes because I need to lose this extra weight I've been carrying for the past four years.  This recipe came from my Robin Takes 5 cookbook.  Each recipe has five ingredients (sometimes six), and they are all very simple and quick to do.

I wasn't a big fan of this chicken recipe, I still ate it all, but I don't think it's a recipe I will ever make again.  I don't know what I didn't like about it, the peanuts or the sauce.  I think it was the sauce, I really hated the texture and the blandness that came with it.  But hey, you might like it! 

Here's what you'll need:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 5 ounces each)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup finely chopped dry-roasted salted peanuts
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
2 cloves garlic, chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Brush the chicken all over with the oil and transfer the chicken to a shallow baking dish.  Season the top of the chicken with salt and freshly ground pepper.  Arrange the peanuts all over the top of the chicken.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
Meanwhile, combine the broth, cilantro, and garlic in a blender and puree until smooth.  Transfer the mixture to a small saucepan and set the pan over medium heat.  Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.  Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Serve the chicken with the cilantro sauce spooned over the top.

Enjoy! 

Braised Chicken with Asparagus and White Wine

Hey everybody, sorry it's been a few days but it's been a busy week at work.  The week before After School starts is always the busiest I've been told, and it definitely was.  I made this recipe on Monday or Tuesday, I can't remember it's been a long week, from my cookbook Robin Takes 5.  One thing to remember always cut the hard stalks off of your asparagus!  I must have been tired that day because I completely forgot, after all it's not the first time I've worked with asparagus.

This is also the very first blog with poultry.  I don't usually like to handle raw chicken so I try not to make it too often.  However, making chicken is very easy and quick, and with the right seasoning, tastes great.  So enjoy!

What you'll need:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon lemon and herb seasoning ( I used Penzeys Spices' Mural of Flavor)
1/2 cup dry white wine or vermouth
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 bunch asparagus, stem ends trimmed and spears cut into 2-inch pieces (I didn't cut them into pieces...oops.)

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the chicken and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until golden brown on all sides, stirring frequently.  Add the seasoning and cook for 1 minute, until the seasoning is fragrant.  Add the wine and cook for 1 minute.

Add the broth and asparagus and bring to a simmer.  Simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the asparagus is crisp-tender.

Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper before serving.

Note:  Depending on how thick your chicken breasts are, it might take longer to cook than state above.