Roast Chicken and Pickled Blueberries

Pickled blueberries. I wish I could say I was clever enough to think up - or create them- myself. Sadly, I am not. Luckily, I know people who are! The Cosmic Cowgirl was kind enough to share a jar of her pickled blueberries with me while chatting at the opening of La Sombra (was extremely pleased with their opening, and their pisco sours were delicious!).

Several weeks went by and I couldn't think of how to do these blueberries justice. Finally, I let them adorn a simple roast chicken breast and paired with delicious veggies which turned out to be just the right way to let these little berries shine. Not all of you will be lucky enough to enjoy these pickled blueberries yourself (unless she's kind enough to post the recipe on her blog - hint hint :) ), so perhaps try your favorite jam whisked with a bit of vinegar to add your own bit of zing to your favorite fruit.

Roast Chicken with Pickled Blueberries

3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons honey
Juice of one lime
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/3 cup pickled blueberries

Combine garlic, honey, lime, olive oil and salt and pepper in a small bowl. Transfer to a large ziplock bag and add chicken. Seal and toss to coat chicken. Marinade for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Shake excess marinade off of chicken and place in a baking dish. Cook for 45 to 55 minutes, or until chicken is 165 degrees. Let chicken rest 5 minutes and serve with blueberries on top.

Rosemary Roasted Vegetables

4 carrots
2 zucchini
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 sprig rosemary (optional)
1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary

Peel carrots and cut into 1/2 inch thick sticks. Cut zucchini into 1/2 in sticks. Place on a baking sheet and toss with olive oil and salt and pepper. Place extra sprig rosemary on sheet and roast 30 minutes. Toss with fresh chopped rosemary and serve.

Rosemary Blue Cheese Mashed Potatoes (adapted from Claire Robinson's 5 Ingredient Fix recipe)

2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled
3 tablespoons butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup half and half
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary

Cut potatoes into 1 inch pieces and place in cool water. Bring to a boil in salted water and reduce to a simmer. Cook until fork tender, about 35 minutes. Drain potatoes and set aside.

In the same pot, melt butter and gook garlic one minute. Add half and half and stir to combine. Add potatoes back in and mash to desired consistency. Stir in blue cheese and rosemary and serve.

Steak and Portobello Risotto

In case you haven't noticed, I don't prepare steak very often. Don't get me wrong, I like it, I just don't crave it as often as others. Luke was heading out of town, and it was a Saturday night, so it seemed like the perfect night to prepare a special, slow cooked meal. This takes a little time, but it's well worth it.

Steak and Portobello Risotto

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 large portobello mushroom cap, cut into 1 inch pieces
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pound sirloin steak
2 cups arborito rice
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup diced shallot
1/2 cup dry white wine, warmed
6 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup shredded parmesan

Heat a skillet on medium heat and warm 1 tablespoon oil. Add zucchini and mushroom to skillet and saute about 5 minutes, then season with salt and pepper. Set aside and keep warm.

Heat a cast iron skillet and spray with cooking spray. Rub down steak with salt and pepper, and cook in skillet about 5 minutes on each side, or until desired doneness is reached. Let rest 5 minutes, then slice. Set aside and keep warm.

Heat a large, heavy saucepan on medium low heat and warm 2 tablespoons oil. Add rice, garlic and shallot and cook, stirring constantly, 2-3 minutes. Stir in wine and cook until until absorbed by rice, then start adding the broth, about 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly. Once 1/2 cup has been absorbed, add another, until risotto is creamy. This should take about 20-30 minutes, and note that you may not use all of the broth. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper and stir in parmesan. Stir in vegetables, then top with steak. Enjoy!

Stuffed Zucchini

My friend Ivette and I got to talking about how much we loved zucchini the other day, and it got me thinking about how i haven't made stuffed zucchini in forever! I love making this because there are a million ways to do it, all of which turn out delicious. We've been grilling outdoors a lot lately, putting me in a fiesta mood, so I gave mine a southwestern flair :)

Stuffed Zucchini

4 large zucchini, ends trimmed and sliced in half lengthwise

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup red onion, diced

1 roma tomato, seeded and diced

1 cup cooked brown rice

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 cup shredded colby jack cheese

1 tablespoon crushed red pepper

2 teaspoons ground cumin

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup bread crumbs

Scoop out the pulp of each zucchini half, leaving the zucchini shelf in tact, and dice. Heat a skillet on medium heat and warm oil. Saute garlic and red onion about 3 minutes, then add in diced zucchini pulp and saute another 3 minutes. Place in a large bowl and stir in tomato, rice, cilantro cheese and seasonings. Place filling into each zucchini shell and place on a baking sheet.Top with a sprinkle of bread crumbs and bake at 375 for 30 minutes, covered. Remove cover and broil for 2 minutes if crumbs are not yet golden brown. Enjoy!

Chicken and Veggie Pesto Toss

I got some great Texas cilantro at the store and thought up this nice, light dinner for a weeknight meal. Since I always have oil, garlic, and lime juice on hand, my ingredient list was actually pretty short at the grocery store!

Chicken and Veggie Pesto Toss

1 1/2 pound small russet potatoes, sliced into 1-inch pieces
2 zucchini, sliced into 1-inch pieces
2 yellow squash, sliced into 1-inch pieces
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound chicken breasts, pounded 1 inch thick
2 leeks, sliced
Pesto
2 cloves garlic, lighty roasted
1/4 cup walnuts, lightly toasted
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 cup cilantro leaves
1/4 cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place potato slices on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Place zucchini and squash slices on a separate baking sheet and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Roast both at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes.

While vegetables cook, season chicken with salt and pepper and grill on medium-high heat about 6 minutes on each side, until juices run clear. Let rest 5 to 10 minutes then slice.

Saute sliced leeks in a bit of olive oil on medium-low heat about 5 minutes.

To make pesto, combine first 5 ingredients in a food processor and pulse. Add cilantro and pulse until combined. Streat in olive oil until you gain desired consistency. Since this will be used as a "sauce," your pesto should be thinner than usual.

Mexican Zucchini Lasagna

I love following What's Cooking from my blogger friend Ben. Not only is he a fellow mango lover, but he's always using familiar ingredients in unfamiliar ways. I saw his recipe for Mexican Zucchini Lasagna and had to try it. I have to say, I wasn't disappointed!

Zucchini and Chicken Mexican Lasagna
Makes: 4-6 servings
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Baking time: 40 minutes

For this recipe you will need:

For the “lasagna”:

2 large zucchinis
2 cups shredded chicken breasts
1/2 lb ricotta cheese2 eggs
1/2 cup Romano cheese, shredded
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

For the green creamy sauce:

2 poblano peppers
1/2 onion2 garlic cloves
1 1/2 - 2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup sour cream
salt to taste

Preparation:

Roast poblano peppers (click here to watch a video) and put them in a thick plastic bag for 10 minutes. Peel them, cut the ends and discard seeds and ribs. Rinse well.

In a blender mix poblano peppers, onion, garlic and chicken broth until smooth. Pour sauce into a large saucepan and cook over medium heat. Add cream, sour cream, salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Slice the zucchini lengthwise into thin ribbons. Kat recommends using a peeler, a mandolin or a Y peeler. In a bowl mix together ricotta, Romano and mozzarella cheeses along with the 2 eggs, oregano, basil, parsley, salt and pepper.

Spoon some of the green sauce into a baking dish. Lay 1/3 of the zucchini slices, 1/2 of the cheese filling, 1 cup of the shredded chicken and some more of the sauce.

Repeat with another 1/3 of zucchini, the rest of the cheese and chicken. Finish with the last 1/3 of the zucchini and pour the remaining sauce into the dish. Bake for 40 minutes until the zucchini is cooked and the sauce is boiling.

This was an exciting change to typical lasagna, and even the boys liked it, which goes to show you don't need pasta to be happy! Though I couldn't serve the meal totally devoid of carbs, so I made my Honey Cilantro Lime Rice to accompany this dish.

Honey Cilantro Lime Rice

1 1/2 cups rice
3 cup chicken broth
1 lime
1 1/2 tablespoon honey
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Prepare rice as instructed, substituting broth for water. In the meantime, combine lime zest and juice and honey in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 20 seconds. stir to combine. When rice is done, stir in honey mixture, cilantro and salt and pepper.

Not your average lasagna!