Tarragon: An Herb a Day

Tarragon is one of those herbs that isn't as well known as say, basil, parsley, or cilantro, but it is really beautiful and a little bit goes a long way.  When I was thinking about how to use tarragon, I really wanted to try to create something completely new.  I was a little nervous making this dish because we were eating with friends and it was brand new to me.  But it turned out fantastic and was really delicious.  This is Tarragon Chicken and Dumplings:

Tarragon Chicken and Dumplings

Take a few sprigs of tarragon and strip them of the leaves.  Chop the leaves finely.

All you need to know about making dumplings is that it is really similar to making biscuit dough.  In fact, I have even used canned Pillsbury biscuits as dumplings in the past.  Although that is incredibly simple, the dumpling recipe I am sharing is super light and makes a fluffy, flavorful dumpling.  

In a bowl, combine 1 cup of all purpose flour, 1 tsp of salt, 1/2 tsp of black pepper, and the tarragon.

To the bowl, add 2 TBSP of melted unsalted butter and stir the mixture to create a crumbly consistency.

Add 1/2 cup of warm water and stir until the dough has just come together.  Tip: the less you work the dough, the fluffier the dumpling will be!

Set the dough aside and chop 4 carrots, 1 stalk of celery, and 1 medium onion.  Add veggies to a medium-high heat dutch oven with 1 TBSP of olive oil preheated.  Saute the vegetables and add a pinch of salt and pepper.

After a veggies begin to soften, add 2 diced uncooked chicken breasts and heat through until the chicken has become white on all sides, but not completely cooked through.  Add the zest of one lemon, 1 bay leaf, and 4 cups of chicken stock.  At this point, I also added 1 tsp of ground black pepper, but that is optional.

While the soupiness comes together and the chicken is cooking through, flatten out your dumplings and cut into squares.  I like cutting them small because they really puff up...like really puff up.  

Add the dumplings to the soup.  Woah! So fluffy!!!  Cover the chicken and dumplings with the lid and simmer for about 20 minutes.  The flour in the dumplings will thicken the soup and you will have a wonderfully, comforting bowl of goodness.

In the last few minutes of cooking, add 1/2 a cup of frozen peas and remove the bay leaf.  Allow the peas to heat through and devour.  The tarragon and the lemon zest add this really fresh flavor that brings out the veggies, and the pepper adds a zing that will leave you wanting more and more and more!  I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did.

Ingredients

1 cup of flour

2 tbsp of chopped tarragon

2 tbsp of melted unsalted butter

1/2 cup of water

1 tbsp of olive oil

4 carrots peeled and diced

1 stalk of celery, diced

1 medium onion, diced

2 chicken breasts uncooked

4 cups of chicken stock

zest of 1 lemon

1 bay leaf

1/2 cup of frozen english peas

salt and pepper

Directions

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, pepper, tarragon, and butter.  Add the water and mix until just combined.

Heat a dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add 1 TBSP of olive oil.  Dice carrots, onion, and celery and add it to the pan.  Cook until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the diced, raw chicken and cook for about 5 minutes.  Add the chicken stock, lemon zest, and bay leaf.

Pat out the dumpling dough and cut into squares.  Add the dumplings to the chicken broth and allow the soup to simmer covered for 20 minutes.  Add the peas and heat through.

Thyme: An Herb a Day

It's thyme for date night!  Sorry, I had to get that out of my system.  Being newly married with school loans constantly looming over our heads, Matt and I try to save money by doing date nights in... Actually, I just love cooking, and it just so happens to help out in the financial area, but whatever helps.  I will take one for the team.  I am always trying to create fancy looking dishes that are inexpensive.  I have learned over the past two years through my cooking endeavors that using expensive ingredients is not the most important part of having a delicious meal.  It is all about cooking the ingredients well.

For date night in, I dreamed up a recipe I affectionately call, Rustic Thyme Meatloaf.  It is beautiful not because of perfectly placed grill marks or the money invested in creating it.  It is beautiful due to a little thoughtful planning and its bright colors.

Rustic Thyme Meatloaf

Ingredients:

1 lb of ground beef or deer

10 Ritz crackers, crushed into crumbs

1 egg

3 TBSP of thyme leaves

1/2 14oz can of petite diced tomatoes

Worchestershire sauce

4 peeled carrots

2 TBSP of olive oil

1 TBSP of flour

1 garlic clove

Balsamic vinegar

Red wine

Chicken broth 

Salt and Pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  In a bowl, mix 2 tbsp of thyme leaves, ground meat, egg, tomatoes, and crushed crackers.  Form the mixture into individual patties and place on a baking sheet.  Drizzle each meatloaf with Worchestershire sauce.  Put the patties in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.

While the meatloaf is cooking, take your carrots and slice them in thin, long strips.  I used a mandoline to get this effect, but I know not everyone has one of these.  Instead, you can use your vegetable peeler to make strips.  Heat a skillet over medium high heat with 1 tbsp of olive oil and salt and pepper.  Place your carrot ribbons in the pan and saute until they are soft and droopy.  For me it took about 10 minutes, but if you used your vegetable peeler, they will cook faster.

While your carrots are softening, it is thyme to whip up a quick sauce.  (I couldn't help myself).  Thinly slice your garlic clove.  Take the other tablespoon of olive oil, heat over medium heat and add the flour and stir.  When the oil and flour have come together add the garlic slices.  Here is where things get tricky.  I didn't measure how much liquid I added, but here are my closest guesses.  Add 1/2 a cup of chicken broth and wisk the mixture until the sauce thickens.  Add a dash of worchestershire sauce and balsamic vinegar.  Let sauce thicken and finally add 1/4 cup of red wine and a pinch of salt and pepper to taste.

Presentation is what changes an ordinary dish from restaurant quality deliciousness.   Place one meatloaf on a plate and drizzle with your garlic wine sauce.  Top your meatloaf with the beautiful carrot ribbons and sprinkle with some of the remaining thyme leaves.  I served my meatloaf with steamed broccoli, but I seriously debated serving it with mashed garlic potatoes.  I still think the potatoes would be a fantastic idea, but to cut back on calories, I made the adult decision to have broccoli.  The child in me was very sad to miss out on the carbs.

Light a candle, grab your sweetie, and enjoy spending thyme together on your date night in.  Okay, enough puns for today.  Bon Appetite! 

Oregano: An Herb a Day

Oregano...what is so special about oregano?  It is a deeply overshadowed herb.  It is basically a weed that I would suggest planting in a pot unless you want an entire flower bed of oregano.  It is hearty and lives straight through the frosts and the freezes of the winter...at least it does in Mississippi.  It is the herb that is in practically every tomato sauce whether it be for pasta, pizza, or dipping.  

I chose to make a rich and fulfilling pasta dish that is full of flavor and not too hefty on the calories.  I wouldn't say this recipe is healthy, but it is packed with veggies and protein.  This is my Oregano Pasta Bake.

Oregano Pasta Bake

Ingredients:

4 cloves of garlic

1 small onion

1 small eggplant

1 14 oz can of whole tomatoes

1 TBSP of olive oil

Salt and Pepper

1 14 oz can of crushed tomatoes

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

1/2 cup of fresh oregano leaves

8 oz of whole wheat tube shaped pasta

1 lb of lean ground beef

1/2 cup of parmesan cheese

1 slice of multigrain wheat bread drizzled with olive oil

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Cut the onion into chunks and place on a lined cookie sheet.  Cut off the top of the eggplant and slice in half.  Place it on the cookie sheet cut side up.  Dump the can of whole tomatoes and 4 garlic cloves on the cookie sheet as well.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes.

While the veggies are cooking, brown the ground meat and drain it of any excess fat.  Cook your pasta according to the box's instructions.  Err on the side of less done pasta because we are going to be baking it and the pasta will continue to cook in the oven.

In a blender place the oregano leaves, the lemon juice, and the can of crushed tomatoes.  When the vegetables are finished roasting, scoop the eggplant meat out of the skin and place it in the blender along with the other roasted vegetables.  Puree until smooth.

Toss the meat, pasta, and sauce together and pour into a baking dish.  Place the wheat bread in a food processor along with a drizzling of olive oil.  Pulse until you have bread crumbs.  Sprinkle the pasta with the parmesan cheese and bread crumbs.  Bake the pasta in the oven for 20 minutes or until the top has become a crispy brown color.

This dish was so yummy.  It hit all of the right notes from the sweetness of the tomatoes to the saltiness of the parmesan to the crunch of the breadcrumbs and the earthiness of the creamy vegetable sauce and ending with the satisfying protein.  I would highly recommend this recipe, especially if you are cooking for some picky eaters that don't like vegetables.  I won't tell them eggplant is in it if you don't!

Basil: An Herb a Day

In my previous post, I mentioned my herbs that I had planted for the spring.  Now that they have taken root, I decided to utilize one herb every night for a week and create a recipe that really makes that specific herb shine.  I decided to start easy with basil, the popular kid in my school of herbs.  My mind initially jumped to pesto.  I love pesto.  Love, love, LOVE pesto, but I realized I wasn't really thinking outside of the box.  I thought about a caprese salad, which is one of my favorite salads for this time of year: tomatoes, mozzarella  basil, balsamic.  What's not to love?

I went back and forth, debating what I was going to chose for my lovely, sweet basil.  I eventually decided to do it simple, and do it right: Tomato Basil Grilled Cheese.  Food cannot get more comforting or more simple than a grilled cheese.  I also knew we were having some special friends for dinner and there was a slim-to-none chance that I could screw up a grilled cheese.  Here's how I did it.

Tomato Basil Grilled Cheese

Ingredients:

4 vine ripened tomatoes

1/2 lb of good mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup of basil

2 TBSP of butter

1 loaf of wheat multigrain bread

salt and pepper

Directions:

Heat a grill pan or skillet to medium high.  Grease pan with butter or non-stick spray.  Slather butter on one side of each slice of the multigrain bread (enough for four sandwiches).  Set aside.

Cut each tomato into four slices.  I used gold tomatoes and red tomatoes because they were so beautiful in the store, but any color would work just fine.  Seed your tomatoes to rid yourself of excess juice, and pat the tomatoes dry with a paper towel.  Soggy bread can really be a Debbie Downer at a grilled cheese party.  Sprinkle the slices with salt and pepper.

Wash and dry your basil leaves.  Grab your mozzarella from the fridge and slice 1/2lb of it.  I have been getting my mozzarella from Sam's where they have 2lbs of fresh mozzarella for around $6.00!  You can't buy two pounds of the mozzarella processed cheese for that price.  It is definitely worth it.  

Now it is time to assemble all of your goodies.  I layered a few basil leaves on the non-buttered side of four slices of bread.  On top of this I placed my tomatoes (two yellow slices and two red slices), and finally, the delicious mozzarella.  With precious care, I laid the top slice of bread over my lovely sandwich, and gingerly slid them onto the hot griddle.

When the bread becomes tan and crispy, flip that baby.  Once the cheese gets to that ooey, gooey, goodness stage, and you know the stage I am talking about, remove them from the grill.  Cut the sandwiches into triangles and serve immediately.

We had a fantastic time with our dinner guests, and I am pretty sure my cheeks hurt from laughing as much as I did.  I am so glad we had some sweet friends to share this sweet basil meal with us.  

Herb Breadsticks

Spring has sprung and being a foodie, this is one of my most favorite times of year.  I am pushing my canned vegetables and dried herbs to the back of my pantry, and heading out to my garden.  This is a really easy, beautiful side dish that can elevate any meal.  

Herb Breadsticks

The nice thing about this recipe is you can use any herb you have on hand.  If you don't have any on hand, you can pick up a big ole bunch of parsley from the supermarket for less than a dollar.  

Pick the leaves off of a few sprigs of herbs and set them aside.  Now, you can make your own bread dough, but I didn't for this recipe.  I had some Pillsbury biscuits in my fridge that I used.  I cut each biscuit into three pieces, rolled it out into a breadstick shape, and placed them on a cookie sheet.  Whisk one egg and brush each breadstick with the egg wash.

Place the herb leaves on the breadsticks in whatever way you choose.  Apply one more layer of the egg wash to make the herb leaves stick to your dough.  Sprinkle the breadsticks with salt, pepper, and grated parmesan, and bake as directed on your biscuit can.  Voila!  You have a beautiful springtime side dish!

Color Me Rad

I have never been the athletic type.  I am the type of person that when something does not come easily to me, I don't do it.  Although my parents did all of the right things of putting me in tee ball, basketball at the YMCA, and gymnastics, I quit them all because I was not good at them.  In my young mind, I didn't understand the importance of being active.  As I grew, I drifted more towards the arts and further away from  physically demanding activities.

I had always been on the hefty end of the spectrum, but as I approached those all impressionable years of junior high, I became overweight...not obese...but unhealthy and overweight.  Even though my parents were always so encouraging and expressed how beautiful I was to them, I was very self-conscious and unhappy with the way I looked.  Due to my low self-esteem, I would convince myself that I couldn't do things like all the other kids of my age.  "You can't run for student body treasurer.  You won't win." "You can't try out for dance team.  You will look fat in those uniforms."  I know now that these were lies that I told myself, and I let myself miss out on what could have been some amazing experiences.

As I grew older, I decided to take control of my weight by adjusting what I was eating.  I started Weight Watchers and lost a whopping 20 lbs!  I felt so much better, but the lies in my mind were still controlling me. It wasn't until I got to college that I was able to break free from this twisted view that I had of myself.  A lot of that had to do with meeting my wonderful husband.  He worked for years to break through the barriers I had put up, and I feel so blessed to have him in my life.  He also encouraged me to become more active.  Throughout my freshman year, I lost another 20 lbs simply from walking to class and involving myself in campus activities.

One thing that was missing was a regular workout routine.  I was no longer overweight and blissfully happy with my college sweetheart, but I couldn't run a block if I was trying to save my life.  This past year, I decided to conquer one last lingering lie.  "You can't run."  I decided to train to run a 5K.  I have tried to run a few in the past and they all turned out to be disasters and reinforced the lies in my head.  But this year, I was not going to give up.  One thing that kept me going is the knowledge that my mom, who I won't tell her exact age, but is older than 45 and runs 4 miles three times a week.  If she can do that, her 26 year old daughter certainly can.  So, I signed up for the Color Me Rad race.  I can't tell you how much I doubted myself when I registered.  All of the lies I had been telling myself resurfaced.

My sweet friend, Karla, who is an amazing athlete

 ran with me and encouraged me through it.

I was so nervous before we started.  I was battling with the "You can't do it" lies.

We made it!  My first 5K to run the whole way.  It felt amazing!

When my grandma saw the pictures, she kept saying, "You don't look very painted."  But I got pulverized with pink paint, and it just made my painfully white skin look like normal skin.  I promise I got painted!  Just ask my shower.

It was such a fun experience, and although these memories of my past are painful for me to share with people, I hope it gives someone who is struggling with getting healthy some encouragement.  I know those New Years resolutions have waned for most of us, but get back at it.  You can do this and don't fall into those lies you are telling yourself. 

 "For I can do all things through him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13

Ain't No Thang but a Chicken Wing

Throughout my whole life, I have had a love/hate relationship with food.  Let's just call it a personal problem.  When I tasted something that I liked, oh boy, I was eating every bit of it, and don't even try to stop me.  Everyone has things that they struggle with, and one of mine is food.

When I was growing up, I didn't understand the relationship between food and weight gain.  All I knew is that I would rather eat seafood Alfredo than a grilled chicken salad.  As I grew older, my love for food remained, but I learned how to balance my love for food and my desire for healthy living.  I have so much fun taking comfort foods and making them fit into my lifestyle.  

One of my favorite comfort food transformations is my Baked Fried Chicken.  It is crunchy, juicy, and delicious.  It is tried and true, but more importantly, it is way fewer calories than the deep fried variety.

I use the drumsticks because they are my sweetie's favorite, but I have quite a few friends that don't eat chicken off the bone (crazy, right?) and you can easily substitute chicken breasts, tenderloins, thighs...anything!  Just adjust the cooking time according to what you are using.  Chicken breasts and wings cook in about 30 minutes and legs and thighs take about 45-50 minutes.

Ingredients:

6-8 chicken pieces

1 cup of greek yogurt

1 cup of milk/lowfat buttermilk

2 garlic cloves

salt and pepper

1 cup of panko breadcrumbs

1/2 cup of parmesan cheese, grated

1 tsp dried rosemary

1 tsp dried oregano

Pinch of red pepper flakes

Btw...I didn't want to post any step by step pics since the chicken doesn't look very appetizing until the end.

Step 1:
Remove the skin from your chickens.  Most of the fat is in the skin, and I try to trim as much animal fat as I can.

Step 2:
Put chicken in a bowl with one cup of greek yogurt, one cup of milk or lowfat buttermilk, 2 minced cloves of garlic, and a pinch of salt and pepper.  Let it marinade for 30 minutes or overnight.

Step 3:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  In a ziplock bag combine one cup of panko bread crumbs, half a cup of parmesan, one tsp each of dried rosemary and oregano, and a pinch of red pepper flakes.  Remove the chicken from the marinade and place in the breadcrumb mixture.  Shake N' Bake time!

Step 4:
Place the coated chicken on a cookie sheet, and put in the oven for 15 minutes if you are using breasts/wings and 25 minutes if you are using legs/thighs.  Flip the chicken and put back in the oven to finish the cooking for another 20-25 minutes.  The house is going to fill with a wonderful and comforting aroma, and when the chicken comes out of the oven it is going to be a beautiful, crispy brown.