Italian Chicken and Vegetable Quinoa

Well, hello again.  I am slowly getting back into the groove.  This week's post is inspired by the eggplant I bought at my local Jewel.  He came with a nose! (and then I gave him sticker eyes and peeled the skin to make a mouth)  How cute is he?  Have you ever grown an eggplant with a little offshoot like this? What causes that?



This recipe is a little bit different than what I usually make, and I liked that. It's rare I make an Italian dish without pasta (seems necessary) but there is no reason not to use quinoa in Italian cooking. It even adds a bit of nuttiness and crunch that pasta lacks. I realize I've been pushing the qunioa lately, but how can you not love it? It's so healthy and tastes great.



Also, since the Monkey Scientist and I moved in with one of my best friends, I've started to make dinners for three.  It's caused me to reevaluate my portion sizes when I'm cooking quite a bit from cooking for just the two of us. Two boys eat a LOT! I doubled the original recipe and we had leftovers, but that's OK with me. At least then I don't have to think too much about lunch in the morning!



The other part of cooking for two boys is that I'm totally outnumbered when I try to make vegetarian meals. "Vegetarian meal" means side dish to these Midwestern boys.  I don't even have my vegepescatarian camp friend to come over and use as an excuse to leave the meat out, since I sadly left her behind in DC (someone make her move to Chicago, please!).  So while I added chicken to this dish, you could definitely substitute it with another can of beans for a Meatless Monday or otherwise vegetarian meal.



This meal was a big hit with everyone. It wasn't the simplest or easiest meal to make (it helped to have 2-3 people in the kitchen) but the dish layered really well. It reminded the Monkey Scientist of Ratatouille - one of our favorites.  The flavors were bold and recognizably Italian, but I didn't miss the pasta at all.  We kicked the spice up a lot, since the 3 of us are not sensitive to spice at all these days, but if you can't handle much spice you can use just a dash of cayenne.  I think this is a great way to use up your gardens at the end of the summer!



Italian Chicken and Vegetable Quinoa
adapted from the Shiksa

Ingredients
1 lb. eggplant, cubed, skin on
1/2-1 lb chicken breast tenders (raw, not the fried kind), cubed
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 medium onion, diced
6-8 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2-2 cups quinoa (I used a mix of red and white)
1 lb. zucchini, sliced into rounds
1 can navy beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp cayenne pepper (more if, like us, you can handle it)
1/3 cup fresh chopped basil, divided
4 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper
Grated Parmesan

Instructions
1. Place the cubed eggplant in a colander and sprinkle all of the pieces with salt. Let the eggplant sit for about 20 minutes (I totally didn't wait this long and it was fine) till beads of water form on the surface of the eggplant. When beads of water have risen on the eggplant, rinse the eggplant thoroughly and drain to get rid of the excess salt.
2. Heat olive oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. Add diced onion to the skillet and saute for a few minutes until softened. Add the minced garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes longer until aromatic.
3. Add the cubed eggplant, crushed tomatoes, and 1/2 cup of water to the skillet. Stir and bring to a boil. Cover the skillet with a lid and reduce heat to a low simmer. Let the eggplant cook for 15 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, rinse the quinoa thoroughly in a mesh strainer or sieve, drain.
5. Bring 3-4 cups water (2:1 ratio with the amount of quinoa) to a boil in a saucepan. Pour the quinoa into the boiling water, bring back to a boil. (I used my rice cooker but my quinoa came out mushy, so I recommend doing it on the stove.) Reduce heat to a simmer and cover the pot. Let the quinoa simmer for about 20 minutes until it becomes tender and all the liquid has been absorbed. Keep a close eye to make sure the quinoa doesn't dry out or burn.
6. In a small skillet, heat a little bit of olive oil over medium heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then add to the skillet and cook until just cooked through and you can't see any pink. It's ok if it's a little under-cooked, since it will cook more later.
7. After the eggplant has cooked for 15 minutes, uncover the skillet and add the sliced zucchini, beans, chicken, oregano, cayenne pepper, and 3 tbsp of fresh chopped basil. Stir, bring back to a low simmer, then recover the skillet. Let the mixture cook for about 15 minutes longer till the zucchini is tender.
8. When the quinoa is done cooking, remove from heat and fluff with a fork. Stir in remaining 2 tbsp of fresh chopped basil and the fresh lemon juice. Season with salt to taste. Cover to keep warm and set aside.
9. When the vegetable and chicken mixture is done cooking, remove from heat. There may be a lot of liquid in the pan. The vegetable mixture should be saucy but not overly liquid. If it seems watery, simmer it for a few minutes on medium high heat, stirring frequently, until the sauce reduces a bit. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
10. Serve the vegetable and chicken mixture in bowls over the quinoa. Top with Parmesan cheese to serve.

Low Fat Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

For the 2nd year in a row, we had a big international potluck at work.  Last year, we did it for our colleagues who were training with us from our Chennai office in India.  This year, it was simply because last year was so tasty.

Now last year I went back to my roots - I made my mom's Kugel - but this year...well I was feeling a little lazy, so I made this low fat zucchini bread. It may have turned out great, but making it was a disaster.  I hesitated to even share the recipe with you - but I figured it was probably me. It may have been the size of my loaf pan...I'm not sure.

I thought it'd be a great idea instead of using regular butter (only 2 tbsp) so use Land O' Lakes Cinnamon Sugar butter spread.  I'm going to go ahead and blame this on my demise, although I'm sure I mis-measured something else too.  The bread just never really baked all the way.  And I baked it a good 15 minutes longer than it said.

Well, that was after I took it out of the oven, flipped it over, and the whole middle fell out.  It was totally raw so I put it back on top and baked it more - is that gross? I was so mad.  Baking can be so hit or miss for me - it's either super relaxing or something goes wrong and it's makes me so frustrated.

Anyways, despite the mistakes, it still came out tasting pretty good.  I adjusted the seasoning below to make it ...better... but I didn't change anything else given my disastrous results, but I gave you notes of what I changed. If you try it, please let me know how it comes out - I"m interested to hear if it's me or the recipe! (probably the former) And if you can figure out where I went wrong - PLEASE let me know!

Low-Fat Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
slightly adjusted from Gina's Skinny

Ingredients
1 c all purpose flour (Gina used unbleached, I used regular)
1 c whole wheat flour (Gina used white, I used regular)
1/2 c brown sugar (not packed, which I thought was odd)
1 1/8 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c chocolate chips (note this isn't a whole bag)
1 large egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp melted butter (I used Land O'Lakes cinnamon sugar butter spread)
1 c apple sauce (I used unsweetened)
1 1/2 c shredded zucchini (not packed - I didn't squeeze to drain)

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl.  Mix well.
3. Add chocolate chips and gently mix to combine.
4. In a medium bowl, mix egg, vanilla, melted butter, apple sauce, and zucchini.  Add to the flour mixture and stir until just blended.
5. Pour the batter into a large 9x5 inch loaf pan (OK I used a normal loaf pan here, how big is that?).
6. Bake at 325 degrees F for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  MAKE SURE IT'S DONE! Cool for about 10 minutes.  Remove loaf from pan and let it cool before slicing.

Ratatouille? A peasant's dish?

Round here, we LOVE Ratatouille.  You know...the movie?



My little brother works as a chef in the summers and used to have long curly hair, and of course has the nose (sorry, Matt) so everyone at the restaurant calls him Linguine. My parents went into the restaurant to eat one day and said they were "Matt's parents" and it took a minute before they said OH LINGUINE'S parents! My mom just loves the nickname.  She even got him this book at a yard sale when I was home in July.



Ratatouille also happens to be one of the Monkey Scientist's favorite films.  We both enjoy watching animated films (I may or may not have cried when we watched Toy Story 3 a couple weeks ago) and he couldn't believe I'd never seen Ratatouille when we met!  He brought it back from his parents' house for me when he went home to visit and I just fell in love - what a cute film.



After all this Ratatouille love, I realized I'd never actually had the dish.  When I tried to go for a run this week, I was feeling totally unmotivated.  Then, I ran into my usual farmer's market.  I'd totally forgotten that it's open Tuesdays as well as Saturdays!  Seeing all the fresh vegetables, I just knew it was the night for ratatouille. Plus, one of my coworkers had given me some fresh basil from his garden!



I couldn't BELIEVE what an easy recipe it was!  It's a one-pot meal - throw it in and let it cook.  Totally low maintenance!  Of course, as you can see from my pre-cooking photos, I totally ignored the proportions of the ingredients below and loaded up on the crushed red pepper flakes... recipes are just guidelines right?



Now that we've eaten it, I think I love the dish as much as I love the movie.  It's totally loaded up on flavor.  Plus it has no fat or carbs, yet it's so filling!  I enjoyed having fresh veggies from the farmer's market as well, I think they made it even better.  The Monkey Scientist told me he liked it even better than Remy's!

The only change I'd make? I'd throw a whole bunch of goat cheese on top!  (Definitely doing that with the leftovers!)



Ratatouille
from Jenna of EatLiveRun on PBS Blog

Ingredients
3 large tomatoes, diced
2 zucchini, sliced and halved
2 summer squashes, sliced and halved
1 red bell pepper, chopped (I used a yellow bell pepper)
1 small eggplant, chopped
1/2 cup fresh basil, minced
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Instructions
1. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Once hot, add the bell pepper, zucchini, and summer squash and saute for about 6-8 minutes until just tender.
2. Add the eggplant and tomatoes and continue cooking for another 15-20 minutes until the mixture is thick and stew-like.
3. Add half the basil followed by salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Stir well, adding more seasoning if you desire.
4. Serve ratatouille with additional fresh basil (and/or goat cheese!) and crusty bread for dipping.

Salmon and Veggies in a Parchment Packet

This recipe is something you can find all over the web.  It's an easy dinner to throw together any night of the week very quickly! And it has loads of nutrients while staying low fat and low carb.

I love the heart shaped packet. I think it's just adorable!

After using Cavender's Greek Seasoning for my chicken souvlaki, I couldn't wait to use it again! It was fantastic and easy in this recipe - I didn't even need any other seasoning!

I really should have sprung for the wild caught salmon, but it was a little more expensive and it really didn't look very good at my market.  Still, if you care about sustainability, I recommend going that route.

Overall, we loved this meal. It was so simple and absolutely delicious! I meant to serve it with Israeli Cous Cous, but I forgot to make it.  Still, this was plenty for us when we just wanted a simple dinner.  Feel free to mix up the type of fish or veggies - it would work with anything! Next time I might try a spicy version with cayenne!

Salmon and Veggies in a Parchment Packet

serves 2

Ingredients:

1 zucchini, sliced

1 summer squash, sliced

1 small Japanese eggplant, sliced

1/4 Vidalia onion, sliced

1 bell pepper (I used orange), sliced

2 pieces of salmon

parchment paper

fresh squeezed lemon juice

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut parchment paper in 2 large hearts (big enough to hold half the veggies and a pieces of salmon), then fold in half. 

Place half of the veggies on each piece of parchment. Sprinkle with greek seasoning.

Place the piece of salmon on top and season with greek seasoning.  Drizzle everything with olive oil. 

Close the parchment packet and seal the edges. Bake 20 minutes or until fish is fully cooked and flakes with a fork.

Open packets and squeeze lemon juice over the top of each piece of salmon/veggies.  

Serve immediately.

Easter Brunch: Zucchini-Potato Frittata

Today, I want to welcome another wonderful new guest blogger, Beth! Beth is another one of my college roomates who taught me many new tricks in the kitchen. She left us for the great Pacific Northwest where she is able to eat a lot of local, organic foods.  She makes a lot of vegan or vegetarian dishes but manages to maintain all the flavor! Since I posted my Passover recipes, I'm glad I could have Beth post an Easter recipe as well!  I hope you all enjoy her vegetarian frittata! (and I'm going to enjoy actually getting to see her this weekend while she visits the East Coast, which makes me so happy!!)

Hello yelleBELLYboo readers! I'm so excited to contribute to Dani's wonderful blog. Easter brunch is definitely one of my favorite meals of the year. And even thought I was unable to spend this Easter with family, it didn't stop me from enjoying a great brunch!

Overall, this meal was pretty easy and very tasty. The main dish was a Zucchini-Potato Frittata.

I love the aroma that fills the kitchen when cooking onions and potatoes, yumm. Be sure to flip the potatoes occasionally and cook them until they are soft, this took me longer than the 20 minutes suggested in the recipe.

Salting the zucchini and letting them set in a colander for about 30 minutes before cooking prevents the final product from being too watery, definitely a must.

I made a few changes to the recipe, and one of them was doubling the zucchini and omitting the bacon. I wanted to roll with a vegetable frittata, so the bacon was served on the side. Next time, I will add some sun-dried tomatoes during this step. It will complement the other vegetables well and give the dish more color.

Combine all cooked vegetables with the beaten eggs and cheese in a medium bowl, then pour mixture into the warm skillet. I went with feta, but any cheese would be great (the original recipe called for cheddar). Make sure the skillet you use oven-safe, because after the bottom is set (~10 minutes) you pop this in the oven for another 5-10 minutes so that the top can set. And then you can enjoy this egg-cellent (ha) dish!

I paired this with the Easy Peasy Whole Wheat Bread recipe that Dani posted a while back and a simple fruit salad. All in all, a very satisfying Easter brunch.

Zucchini-Potato Frittata
adapted from goodLife {eats}

Ingredients:
2 medium zucchini, sliced
salt
4-5 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 lbs. golden potatoes, thinly sliced
1/2 large onion, thinly sliced
6 eggs
Freshly ground black pepper
3/4 c crumbled feta

Instructions
Combine the zucchini and 1 teaspoon salt in a colander and toss well. Set aside to drain for 30 minutes. Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat in a large, well-seasoned cast-iron skillet or ovenproof nonstick skillet. Add the potatoes and onion, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook, flipping and stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are soft.

Increase the heat to medium-high and continue cooking, tossing occasionally, until the potatoes are are brown, about 5 minutes. Remove the potatoes but keep the skillet on the burner. Transfer the zucchini to a clean kitchen towel and pat dry. Add the zucchini to the skillet and saute over medium-high heat, until the zucchini is just tender, about 4 minutes. Remove the zucchini.

Keep the skillet over the heat. Beat the eggs and pepper to taste in a medium bowl until well blended. Fold in the potatoes, zucchini, and cheese. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of the remaining oil to the skillet as needed to lightly coat the bottom. Pour in the egg mixture, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook without stirring until the bottom is set, about 10 minutes.

Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the top is set, 5 to 15 minutes, checking every 5 minutes. Place a serving plate on top of the skillet and carefully invert. The frittata should fall out of the pan. Cut into wedges and serve.