Category Archives: Meats

Chicken Kiev with Garlic Rosemary Potatoes & Walnut Apple Salad

Posted on August 9, 2009 by Veronica

On the recommendation of my dear friend, Jaci, I prepared chicken Kiev when my little sister and her family joined us for dinner last night. It was a raging success, even with all my mistakes (slightly burning the crust on the chicken (at least the inside was perfect), getting impatient with the potatoes and not waiting for them to get crunchy on the outside, putting too much vinegar in the dressing (that’s why the apples look brown–the balsamic dyed them!)), and my company is already looking forward to their next invitation for dinner. Thanks for the great recipes, Miss Jaci!

Chicken Kiev with Sautéed Garlic Rosemary Potatoes
Rachel’s Food for Living by Rachel Allen

4 Chicken Breasts-skinned
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Garlic Butter
4 oz butter, softened
2-4 garlic cloves
1 heaping Tbsp chopped fresh herbs (I used parsley, thyme & rosemary and used more than recommended)
finely grated zest and juice of 1/2 a large lemon

Coating
2oz flour
1 lg beaten egg
6 Tbsp plain breadcrumbs
oil for frying

Potatoes
8 potatoes
2 oz olive oil
coarse sea salt
fresh ground pepper
2 garlic cloves
2 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary

Lay chicken breasts on chopping board; slit but don’t cut completely in half. Season with salt and pepper.

Cream butter & add garlic and herbs and zest and juice of lemon; mix well. Spread garlic butter out onto the center of chicken breasts leaving about 1/2 inch all around the breast. Fold chicken breast back to original shape.

Place flour,beaten egg and breadcrumbs on 3 separate plates (or shallow bowls). Toss each breast in flour,coat with egg and roll in bread crumbs until chicken is well covered. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Cut potatoes into slices or cubes,dry with paper towels if needed. Heat oil in frying pan, add potatoes,season with salt and pepper and cook on med low heat for 16-20 min until almond golden and crunchy on the outside but soft on inside. Toss in garlic,chopped herbs and a little more olive oil,cook for couple more minutes until garlic is golden. To keep warm, place in uncovered casserole in the warm oven.

Sorry no prep photos on the potatoes, just the finished product–it should actually look crispy and golden but I only cooked mine until tender b/c I had hungry people waiting.

For chicken, place 4 Tbsp oil of choice and 1oz of butter in frying pan–heat until hot. Add the chicken and cook about 2 minutes on each side until golden,transfer to the oven for about 8 minutes until cooked through, serve with sauteed potatoes and salad–Jacie’s recipe follows.

Jacie’s Walnut Apple Salad

One bag baby spinach (I used 1/2 bag butter lettuces and 1/2 bag spring mix)
3/4 c walnuts–toasted (I used some pecans too)
1 sweet apple, such as Red Delicious, cored and diced (I used Braeburn for crispness)
1/2 c feta cheese

Make a dressing with 4 parts olive oil to one part balsamic vinegar with one tsp of honey per 4 T of evoo. Toss with salad ingredients.

(If you don’t want to do the math, just mix 1/4 cup olive oil with 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and 1 tsp of honey. Add more vinegar and/or honey to suit your tastes.)

2 Comments

Posted in Meats, Salads, Side Dishes and tagged apple, chicken kiev, garlic, potatoes, rosemary, salad, walnut. Bookmark the permalink.

Bison

Posted on June 22, 2009 by Veronica

Many of you know that I prefer bison to beef and thought you might be wondering why. Here’s my answer, taken from http://www.bigbendbison.com/health.htm.

Health Benefits

TASTE
People are rapidly discovering the deliciously healthy taste of bison / buffalo. Buffalo meat tastes similar to fine beef, with just a slightly sweeter and richer flavor. Bison is naturally flavorful and tender and can be prepared much the same as beef. Publications ranging from Gourmet Magazine to the Old Farmers Almanac are heralding bison as the meat of the future.

VALUE
Bison falls into the gourmet or specialty meat category at your supermarket or meat market. Click here to find a local retailer. The value of buffalo is not what you pay, but what you get in return. Nutritionally you are getting more protein and nutrients with fewer calories and less fat. Buffalo is a dense meat that tends to satisfy you more while eating less.

HEALTH
Bison are handled as little as possible. They spend their lives on grass, much as they always have, with very little time in the feedlot. They are not subjected to questionable drugs, chemicals or hormones. The members of the NBA feel so strongly about this that they have a resolution opposing the use of these substances in the production of Bison for meat.

WE STAND BEHIND OUR PRODUCT
The members of the National Bison Association are proud to introduce “Certified American Buffalo“ as a new seal that offers customers an extra degree of confidence in the quality of bison meat products. Every package containing the new Certified American Buffalo seal comes from producers who adhere to a USDA-audited program to assure that the products can be traced to the ranches of origin, and that animals are never given growth hormones or fed low-levels of antibiotics or animal byproducts.

NUTRITION
Research by Dr. M. Marchello at North Dakota State University has shown that the meat from Bison is a highly nutrient dense food because of the proportion of protein, fat, mineral, and fatty acids to its caloric value. Comparisons to other meat sources have also shown that Bison has a greater concentration of iron as well as some of the essential fatty acids necessary for human well being. Readers’ Digest magazine has even listed bison as one of the five foods women should eat because of the high iron content.

Read Dr. Marchello’s Study

Premium Natural Bison

With changing health needs, growing concern about fat and cholesterol combined with an aging population,

preventative maintenance has become a growing part of our health plans. Food products that address these needs have seen and continue to see increased attention from consumers. Among these food products, is a product very much North American, which meets the dietary needs of many. The bison, once driven to the verge of extinction has slowly been making a comeback in prestigious restaurants and food service outlets all over North America. Until now, supply has limited the availability of the product. More and more consumers of fine food are finding the exquisite tenderness, sweet, and full bodied nature of bison to their taste. In addition to the flavour profile that bison delivers, it is densely composed of nutritional elements as well as reduced fat and cholesterol. Discover why bison meat is becoming a leading culinary trend, treat yourself to the finest food available, treat yourself to bison.

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Posted in Lighter Fare, Meats. Bookmark the permalink.

Shrimp Tacos

Posted on May 16, 2009 by Veronica

This is a wonderfully light summer meal that has the feel of gourmet without the fuss.

Shrimp Tacos with Spicy Corn on the Cob
Printable recipe

Salsa
1 1/2 cups seeded, chopped tomato
1 cups seeded, chopped cucumber
1/3 cup thinly sliced scallions
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
3 tbsp fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp salt

Filling
8 oz green beans, trimmed
1 tsp fajita seasoning, divided
1 lb medium to large shrimp, peeled & deveined
1 tbsp olive oil

8 6-inch corn tortillas

Corn
4 corn on the cob in the husk
few spritzes of fat-free butter spray
few dashes ancho chile pepper

Directions
1. Combine salsa ingredients & set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet on medium-high. Toss rinsed green beans with 1/2 tsp of the fajita seasoning in a bowl and add to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, for five minutes.
3. Meanwhile, toss the shrimp with the remaining 1/2 tsp seasoning and put the corn on the cob in the microwave with the husks still. Cook them on high for eight minutes.
4. Add to the shrimp to the skillet after the green beans have cooked for 5 minutes and cook another five minutes or until the shrimp are no longer opaque.
5. Shuck the corn, leaving the husk on the end to use as a handle. Spray with butter & sprinkle with a light dusting of ancho chile pepper (adjust to suit your heat preference).
6. Heat the tortillas: Wrap the stack in a fairly damp paper towel and microwave on high for 80 seconds (a good rule of thumb when heating tortillas in the microwave is 10 seconds per tortilla).
7. Assemble the tacos: Divide shrimp-and-bean-mixture between warm tortillas and serve with salsa & an ear of corn on the side.

Serves 4

For those of you without a kitchen scale, this is what 8 ounces of green beans (and me with a hormonal lip zit) looks like.

Raw Swimps

Happy Swimps

I hate cucumbers so I didn’t expect to like this salsa, but it blew me away! I couldn’t believe something so simple could be so good. I plan to use it in many a dish to come!

Recipe source: Adapted from Ladies’ Home Journal May 09

Linked with Life in the Slow Lane for BSI: Salsa.

1 Comment

Posted in Lighter Fare, Main Dishes, Meats, Mexican, Seafood and tagged diet, diet-friendly, green beans, light, shrimp, tacos. Bookmark the permalink.

World’s Greatest Salmon

Posted on June 3, 2008 by Veronica

Oh wow. My system is still having aftershocks since trying a recipe that my friend, Rossie, posted on her myspace blog last week. Although salmon is my favorite fish, I don’t love it. I eat it b/c it’s good for you and it’s not terrible. But prepared this way? Oh. My. Gorsh. I could have eaten an entire salmon prepared this way. Try it. You won’t regret it. And if you hate fish, this recipe just may make a convert out of you.

World’s Greatest Salmon

1 unit pure maple syrup or honey (I used the former but Rossie used honey and said it was wonderful)
1 unit soy sauce
2-4 cloves fresh minced garlic

Marinate the salmon in this mixture for at least one hour before baking (I did two). Bake at 350 with the sauce dumped over it for 15-20 minutes (check to make sure it flakes easily–that means it’s done). Serve with a spoonful of sauce (or three) drizzled over it. (It might be fun to thicken some with cornstarch and serve on the side.) If you’re going to grill it, let it marinate at least four hours and put it on the grill with the skin side down. Then dig in and proceed to lapse into a salmon-induced state of euphoria.

Veronica’s Notes: I had (4) four-oz. pieces of salmon and I used 1/2 cup of syrup and soy sauce each (and 2 ginormous cloves of garlic) and that made a little too much so judge how much sauce you will need based on how much you’re cooking. The amount I made would have been appropriate for at least two more pieces. It’s better to have too much than not enough.