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Mustard-Rosemary Chicken Skewers

June 24, 2011 ·


Happy Summer!  ‘Tis the season for visits to the beach, bike rides, and of course, grilling.  I have several favorite recipes exclusive to the grill, so my anticipation of grilling season rivals that of Christmas.  While I enjoy the reliable stand bys, it is always fun to find new and healthy recipes to add to the favorites.  


So in the spirit of summer, when I saw this recipe for Mustard-Rosemary Chicken Skewers, I could not wait to fire up the grill!   Skewers are such a convenient way to serve your meat and veggies, all threaded on a handy little stick.  Plus there is something fun about having dinner on a stick.    

These tasty skewers did not disappoint.  The rosemary, mustard and balsamic vinegar are an incredible flavor combination with the chicken and veggies.  From the original recipe, I reduced the oil, used chicken breast instead of legs, and increased the balsamic vinegar, scallions, and garlic (can never have enough garlic!).  I have written the recipe below according to these changes. 

These skewers are perfect for entertaining at your next summer celebration and have landed a spot on the grilling favorites list in this house.

Have a great weekend!

Mustard-Rosemary Chicken Skewers
Yields 4 servings

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
pinch salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for grill (or use cooking spray on grill)
1 pounds boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
5 scallions, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces

Note: if using wooden skewers, soak for at least 30 minutes prior to grilling…perfect to do while the chicken and vegetables are marinating.

  1. In a small bowl, mix together the mustard, vinegar, rosemary, garlic, salt and black pepper.  Slowly whisk in the oil.
  2. Place chicken, bell pepper and scallions in a Ziploc bag.  Add the marinade, making sure to coat chicken and vegetables. Refrigerate at least 40 minutes.
  3. Heat the grill to medium high and brush with olive oil (or spray with cooking spray).  Thread chicken, peppers and green onions on skewers.  Transfer to grill and cook, turning occasionally, until chicken is charred and no longer pink (approx 8 minutes). 

Adapted from Fitness Magazine

Filed Under: healthy, main dishes, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , ,

Cottage Cheese Pancakes

June 20, 2011 ·

With a toddler, pancakes are a huge hit in this house. They’re easy to make ahead and a good finger food for my boy, Adam. Instead of a basic buttermilk pancake recipe, I wanted to find a nutritious protein-packed pancake recipe.  Cottage Cheese Pancakes sounded perfect!

Not only are these Cottage Cheese Pancakes delicious, they smell amazing when cooking on the griddle.  It reminded me of a doughnut or a funnel cake.  But fortunately, these pancakes are a lot healthier than those greasy treats!  They freeze really well too, which makes it easy to have healthy, delicious pancakes on hand at all times!

Adam absolutely LOVES these Cottage Cheese Pancakes, and they have become a household staple. 

Cottage Cheese Pancakes
Yields 20 pancakes

Ingredients
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose flour)
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 eggs
1 cup cottage cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon honey
Cooking spray (or oil) for the pan

Directions:

  1. In a small bowl, whisk together flour and baking powder.  Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, cottage cheese, vanilla and honey until blended.  Add flour mixture and stir until just combined.
  3. Preheat nonstick skillet over medium heat (about 325 degrees) and spray with cooking spray. 
  4. Pour batter by the heaping tablespoonful and cook until bubbles start to form and batter looks set at the edges (about 3 minutes).  Flip and cook until set (about 2-3 minutes).

Tip:  These pancakes freeze really well.  I let them cool to room temperature. Then place a waxed paper square between each pancake, wrapped in plastic wrap (or a plastic bag) and then a freezer bag.  I typically bag then in groups of 6-8 so it’s easy to pull out a few portions at a time.

    Adapted from Weelicious

    Filed Under: breakfast, healthy, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , ,

    Mixed Green Salad with Dried Cherries

    June 3, 2011 ·

    I love this salad!  It’s simple.  It’s elegant.  It’s delicious.

    mixed green salad dried cherries and pepitas with balsamic vinaigrette

    What’s not to love really.  Mixed greens.  Mustard and red wine vinaigrette.  Sliced red onion.  Sweet dried cherries.  Toasted pepitas.

    The tangy vinaigrette is the perfect complement to the sweetness of the cherries and red onion.  And the roasted pepitas add a complexity that tops off the salad perfectly.
    Mixed Green Salad with Dried Cherries
     
    Print
    Ingredients
    • 3 teaspoons red wine vinegar
    • 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
    • 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
    • Fresh ground pepper
    • 8 oz mixed greens
    • ½ cup sliced red onion
    • ½ cup dried sweet cherries
    • ¼ cup pepitas
    Instructions
    1. In a 350 degree oven, toast pepitas on a pie plate for 10 minutes.
    2. In a large bowl whisk together vinegar, mustard, olive oil and ground pepper.
    3. Add mixed greens, onion, cherries and pepitas to bowl and toss to combine.
    Nutrition Information
    Serving size: 4 servings

    Adapted from Martha Stewart

    Thank you for visiting Alida’s Kitchen!  Have a great weekend!

    Filed Under: gluten free, healthy, Recipes, salad, vegan, vegetarian Tagged With: ,

    Cheese Enchilada Casserole

    June 1, 2011 ·
    lighter vegetarian cheese enchilada casserole

    Truth be told, after the birth of our son, my husband (Mike) and I fell into what some might affectionately call a “dinner rut.”  Our dinners were something quick and easy for Mike to whip together while I took care of putting the baby to bed.  And the rotation went something like this: pizza (frozen), pasta (fresh ravioli), Pei Wei (sesame chicken!), and eggs (which later morphed into “p’eggs”).  We were tired.  We were hungry.  Sometimes we had pizza 2 nights in a row.  After many many months we were ready for a change.  The baby was older and bedtime a bit more predictable.  It was time to dig into my recipe archives, and the revival of Cheese Enchilada Casserole was born.

    Cheese Enchilada Casserole is an easy weeknight meal that’s full of flavor and is healthy too.  With some advance prep work it can easily be assembled and on the table in around 30 minutes.  There are countless variations that can evolve from this basic recipe – add chicken or black beans, vary the cheese or tomatoes or sauce.  Yet it’s just as tasty prepared in the version written below.

    Cheese Enchilada Casserole
     
    Print
    Yields: 4 servings
    Ingredients
    • 1 cup (8 oz) fat free cottage cheese
    • 1 cup (4 oz) shredded cheddar cheese
    • 1 bunch green onions, chopped
    • 15 oz can diced tomatoes with green chiles
    • 3 cloves minced garlic
    • 2 tsp chili powder
    • 1 cup taco sauce
    • ¼ cup (1 oz) shredded cheddar cheese
    • 9 6" corn tortillas
    • Cooking spray
    Instructions
    1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 13 x 9 baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
    2. Mix first 6 ingredients, through chili powder, in bowl. [This step can be done in advance]
    3. Place 3 corn tortillas in baking dish. Top tortillas with ½ of cheese mixture. Repeat. Top final layer with 3 corn tortillas.
    4. Pour taco sauce over tortillas and top with ¼ cup cheddar cheese.
    5. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving. Slice into 4 pieces and serve.

    Adapted from Cooking Light

    Filed Under: gluten free, healthy, main dishes, Recipes, vegetarian Tagged With: , , , ,

    Crustless Broccoli Cheddar Quiche

    May 26, 2011 ·

    Welcome to Alida’s Kitchen!  For my inaugural post, I am sharing with you a tasty crustless quiche recipe made with a few simple ingredients.  It is so easy to put together!  The cheddar cheese really adds a nice flavor to this egg dish, and broccoli adds great texture.  My husband and I enjoyed this quiche for dinner with a side salad (and leftovers made for great lunches the next day!), although it would be excellent for a brunch or anytime really. 
     

    Crustless Broccoli Cheddar Quiche
    Adapted from Everyday Food

    10 oz. frozen broccoli florets
    6 large eggs
    1/2 cup fat free half and half
    1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
    Ground pepper
    3/4 cup (3 ounces) cheddar cheese
    Cooking spray

    1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9 inch pie dish with cooking spray.  Set aside.
    2. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil.  Add broccoli; cook 1 minute.  Drain well; transfer to a cutting board and blot dry with paper towels.  Chop coarsely.
    3. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, half-and-half and nutmeg.  Add ground pepper to taste.  Stir in broccoli and cheese.
    4. Pour broccoli mixture into pie plate and bake until golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes.

    Yields 4 servings

    Thank you for visiting Alida’s Kitchen.  Have a happy day!

    Filed Under: breakfast, healthy, main dishes, Recipes, vegetarian Tagged With: , , , , ,