Recipe Swap - Chicken

"Why did arti-choke the chicken?"
To make a recipe from a swap, of course...


When I was thinking about participating in the What's Cooking recipe swap, several things flew through my mind. I thought I was crazy, too gutsy, too inexperienced...I knew that I was in trouble if one of the following happened: 
1.) I received a recipe with unfamiliar ingredients
2.) I have no idea how to adapt or change the recipe or
3.) I have never made something similar and therefore have no idea how it tastes to have a basis for comparison. 

Despite my gut telling me to run and run far away, I decided that the only way to learn was to practice. So, I committed myself to the swap. When I received my swap recipe for Chicken Florentine Artichoke Bake, my worst fears came true. I was not familiar with all of the ingredients, no idea how to adapt it as I had no idea what the heck it was, and I had never tasted anything similar to it before. All three. Just my luck. 




Ever the reseacher, I quickly looked up Chicken Florentine to see what the deal was all about. My game plan was to work from the base up.  I learned that Chicken Florentine is dredged in flour, cooked with white wine and cream to make a sauce and served on top of sauteed spinach. That seemed simple enough, but I couldn't figure out how the artichokes came into play. Then I had an epiphany - read the original blog entry. I  read that the Feta cheese worked well with the spinach and artichoke. Then it occurred to me, stuff the chicken with the spinach, artichoke, feta, and provolone cheese. The Monterrey Jack cheese and an additional half of a cup of Provolone was added in to a cream sauce. Needless to say, I surprised myself. I am keeping this dish in my recipe files for when I have company and want something impressive. I know that I won't be making this dish very often, but it was nice to switch things up, do some research (my favorite), and try something new. When I try this recipe again, I will roll the individual chicken breasts with the stuffing and may try sauteing the artichoke and spinach in butter before stuffing. One thing is for sure - I do not have a history in writing recipes. 

In case you want to see the original recipe, please click here.  

Artichoke Stuffed Chicken Florentine

For the chicken:

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, butterflied 

1/2 tsp. paprika
1 Tbsp. butter, melted

1/2 cup chicken broth

For the stuffing:

1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 egg

1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning 

1/2 cup Feta cheese, crumbled
1 14-oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and diced

1 10-oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

For the sauce:
8 oz. dried bow tie pasta  

1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded  

1-1/4 cups milk, 1/2 & 1/2 or heavy cream

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon parsley flakes

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In bowl, combine onion, garlic, egg, Italian seasoning, Feta, artichokes, spinach, and bread crumbs. Stir together and set aside. Place handful of stuffing between each butterflied chicken breast. Secure with toothpick. Place stuffed chicken in an oven safe bowl, pouring over with chicken broth. Cook for 30 minutes.Cover with melted butter and paprika and cook an additional five minutes.

Cook pasta in pot of boiling water for eight to ten minutes or according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

For the sauce, make a roux by adding flour to melted butter. Wisk until golden brown. Add the milk and bring to a simmer. Add cheeses, parsley, salt, and pepper to the roux and bring to a simmer. Add cooked pasta and turn to coat.

Serve with pasta as a base for the chicken. Enjoy!

Source: Adapted from Good Thymes, Good Food, originally from Better Homes and Gardens

Spice Rubbed Pork Loin

Hello again, my friends. If you are coming over from The Jey of Cooking, welcome. We have made it through Monday and trudge on through the week. Yesterday, I gave you a wonderfully delicious low sodium appetizer.   I hope that you have thought about adding the Algerian Flafla to your menu plan or special occasion. Today, I am featuring a low sodium entree and side. 

When researching recipes, I had a pork loin that I knew I had to use and figured that there would be no better time than for this low sodium meal. I omitted the coriander and red pepper flakes for lack of both, but the rub still did the job and was delicious. There was still a little bit of kick from the chili powder, but if you're into heat, I suggest adding the pepper flake in. 


I knew that I wanted to incorporate sweet potatoes somehow. My husband and son love them. They are not my first choice, but I went about this with the mindset of a meal that I would make for my own family. The mashed sweet potatoes were delicious and the pot was actually scraped clean. 

Spice Rubbed Pork Loin
Ingredients
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 2 pound boneless pork top loin roast

Directions

In a small screw-top jar combine cumin, brown sugar, chili powder, cinnamon, and black pepper. Cover and shake well to combine. Remove 2 tablespoons for this recipe. Store remaining rub, covered, at room temperature for up to 1 month.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Trim fat from pork loin. Rub seasonings all over surfaces of the pork. Place loin on a rack in a shallow pan. Roast for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until thermometer registers 155 degrees F. Remove from oven and cover with foil. Allow to stand for 15 minutes during which the temperature should be 160 degrees. 

Source: Heart Healthy Living

Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Coconut Milk

     Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, (about 3 medium)

3/4 cup “lite” coconut milk

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

Prick sweet potatoes with a fork in several places. Microwave on High until tender all the way to the center, 10 to 15 minutes. If you prefer to bake them, place them in a baking dish and bake at 425 degrees F for about an hour. They should be tender all the way through, regardless of which preparation method you choose. 

When cool enough to handle, peel off and discard skin. Transfer the sweet potatoes to a saucepan and mash thoroughly with a potato masher. Add coconut milk, ginger and salt; stir well. Reheat in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes, or in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Serve warm.

Source:  Eating Well

Pirohi

Also known as pierogi, can come in several varieties such as prune, cheese, cabbage, sauerkraut and pretty much whatever you can dream up and stuff inside. With spring approaching, we are preparing to enter the Lenten season. This means abstinence from any meat products on Fridays each week.


I used to think of this as such a big, huge, sucky deal. Now that we have one meatless meal per week in our menu, it's just a matter of rotating the days and having meatless Fridays instead. It has actually become - dare I say it, fun - to look for and cook meatless recipes. The stigma that I used to hold for such types of meals has been absolutely blown out of the water and you definitely can have a very filling meal that contains no meat. 


I have always loved pierogi. It wasn't until college that I learned how to properly make them. Have you ever had a boiled pierogi? Ick. When I moved home, I brought my new cooking method with me and it spread like wildfire in my family. This is my first attempt at homemade. I attempted the potato variety. I added caramelized onion and cheddar cheese to the potato and filled each shell. It was surprisingly easier than I expected. 


Ingredients
2 c flour
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 c of warm water
1 tbsp butter
1 potato, mashed
1 small onion, diced
handful of cheddar cheese


Directions
Mix flour, eggs, and salt. Add enough warm water to make medium soft dough. Knead until blisters appear. Divide into two portions. Roll out one portion on a floured board. Cut into two inch circles or squares.


In a small pan, melt butter and add onion. Allow to cook until caramelized. Add 1/4 tsp salt, potato, and cheese to onion. Heat through until cheese melts. Take off of heat.


Place teaspoon of filling in each. Fold in half. Pinch edges to keep filling from escaping which can be done with the tines of a fork. Drop into boiling water until pirohi comes to top, about 10 minutes. After they are boiled and drained, crisp dough with a tablespoon of butter.


Source: Culinary Delights, St. Maurice Parish and Friends

Apple Stuffed Chicken

When I read over this recipe while at my desk at work, I knew that I had to make this recipe. Something about it just called out to me. However, I was concerned about how the fruit would be received. After reading the reviews, I decided to adapt the recipe slightly by adding a tablespoon of brown sugar to both the stuffing and to the pan gravy. I didn't have any cornstarch, so I used a tablespoon of butter and flour to make a roux. It was absolutely delicious. I was hesitant to fess up about the stuffing, but of the four servings that it made, three of them ended up on Dan's plate and eaten. Winner, winner chicken dinner indeed. Definitely a (surprising) keeper! Feels good to start out with a win in my column.

Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/2 cup chopped apple
2 tablespoons shredded Cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon Italian-style dried bread crumbs
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup dry white wine (I subbed in chicken broth)
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Directions:
1.Combine apple, cheese, brown sugar, and bread crumbs. Set aside.
2. Flatten chicken breasts between sheets of waxed paper to 1/4 inch thickness. Divide apple mixture between chicken breasts, and roll up each breast. Secure with toothpicks.
3. Melt butter or margarine in a 7 inch skillet over medium heat. Brown stuffed chicken breasts. Add wine (I used chicken broth) and 1/4 cup water. Cover. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink.
4. Transfer chicken to a serving platter. Combine 1 tablespoon butter and flour. Wisk for 5 minutes.
5. Add additional brown sugar and juices into pan. Cook and wisk until thickened. Pour gravy over chicken, and garnish with parsley. Serve.

Adapted from Behr, Allrecipes.com
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Apple-Stuffed-Chicken-Breast/Detail.aspx