3 January 2017 Healthy Chicken Fiesta Bowls

Healthy Chicken Fiesta Bowls

January 3, 2017 By

chicken-fiesta-bowlsIt’s a new year and I’m making all efforts to use meal prepping more so I can cook on Sundays and have delicious, healthy lunches during the week. I did pretty well with this in 2016, but since I travel over 50% of the time, meals at home weren’t very frequent. This recipe makes four lunch since bowls that are easy to take to work and reheat in the microwave. Corn would be a nice addition to this recipe, so feel free to add if you’re not trying to cut down on carbs a bit. Ingredients:

  • 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts cut into three pieces each (6 pieces total)
  • 2 red bell peppers, julienned
  • 1 large onion, chopped in medium pieces
  • 1 Tbsp. creole/blackening seasoning (could use taco seasoning)
  • ½ tsp. each salt and pepper
  • 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
  • 2 cups cooked brown rice
  • 1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinses
  • 1 cup fresh salsa (don’t want to make your own, check out the produce section of your grocery store for fresh salsa)
  • 4 Tbsp. cilantro leaves (optional)
  • 1 lime cut into 4, optional

Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

  1. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil (to make cleanup easy). Place the chicken, peppers and onions on the baking sheet then sprinkle with blackening seasoning, salt and pepper. Drizzle the oil on the veggies and chicken and toss to coat with oil and spices evenly. Bake for 25 minute then turn oven to broil and broil for 3-4 minutes, until lightly charred. Allow to cool, then chop the veggies and chicken in bite size pieces.
  2. To assemble, divide the rice, black beans, salsa, chicken and cooked vegetables among 4 microwave-safe storage containers. Refrigerate until ready to eat, up to 5 days.
  3. When ready to eat, microwave partially-covered for 3 minutes. Garnish with cilantro leaves and, if using. Can also serve with additional salsa and lime juice.

Makes 4 lunch entrees.  

Filed Under: American, Chicken, Entrees, Mexican, Vegetables Tagged With: , , ,

Best Dishes 2016

December 31, 2016 By

My job had me on the road more than not in 2016 and while I’ve had many, many unforgettable meals this past year, I’ve tried to narrow down the 15 best dishes I enjoyed during the past year. Here’s the list in restaurant name alphabetical order.

Ai Fiori – New York, NY. Eating at this Chef Michael White restaurant is a luxurious treat and lobster seems to be an appropriate ingredient to have in the beautiful dining room. The Lobster with Asparagus and Morels was one of the best lobster dishes I’ve had.

Buca Yorkville – Toronto, ON. Branzino is my favorite fish and at Buca, the Cyprian sea bass is expertly-carved tableside in its pure raw state and topped with Prosecco, olive oil and lemon.

Escape – Montclair, NJ. The seafood grits with a giant portion of sea urchin was just a fabulous dish at the now defunct Escape.

FLX Table – Geneva, NY. Very cool dining experience at Chef/Master Sommelier Christopher Bates’ new chef’s table restaurant in the Finger Lakes. The multi-course dinner showcases locally-sourced ingredients and the dish I thought stood up among the winning lineup was the Uber B.L.T. consisting of tomato, sweet summer corn and lamb bacon. The presentation was glorious with a pool of tomato water in the bowl of the plate and beautifully-arranged raw and dried tomatoes, the bacon and corn then avocado and Thai basil.

Grace – Chicago, IL. I treated myself to Grace this year and wasn’t sorry for the splurge. The Alaskan King Crab dish was gorgeous, light yet flavorful. It’s served artfully with char roe, cucumber, floral cream and tangerine lace. The king crab salad is positioned at the bottom of a v-shaped glass filled with herbs and flowers then a flavor-neutral tuile seals the salad. Crack the tuile with a spoon and the crunchy bits add an unexpected texture to the delicate crab.

Heirloom Kitchen – Old Bride, NJ. Chef David Viana cooked up perhaps the best duck I’ve had. The masterly-seared duck breast is served with sherry herbed barley, granola, parsnip, date purée, maitake mushroom and duck jus. The earthiness of the roasted maitake and the sweet/savory date purée compliment the rich duck perfectly.

Hot & Soul – Ft Lauderdale, FL. My year-end best dishes compilation wouldn’t be the same without an entry from my favorite Ft Lauderdale restaurant. The Mushroom Manchego Toast is a must to start off a meal at Hot and Soul. The shareable dish with its creamy sherry sauce is a winner.

Kalofagas – my home in NJ. Toronto-based chef and cookbook author Peter Minaki prepared a dish of spaghetti with uni (sea urchin) sauce at my home this year that was simply outstanding. Briny uni-tomato sauce coated the al dente pasta perfectly.

Lorena’s – Maplewood, NJ. Meals at Lorena’s are never less than stellar and this year, my favorite dish at the popular restaurant was the Cavatelli Carbonara. Instead of the eggs being incorporated in the sauce in a traditional way, Chef Campos serves it poached with a runny yolk to coat the pasta.

Razza Pizza Artigianale – Jersey City, NJ. While it’s best known for its outstanding pizza, my favorite dish at Razza is the Bread and Butter service featuring house made butter that has the right funky flavor and crusty, pizza oven-baked bread.

Redux – Madison, NJ. Chef Ubhaus serves up delicious, comforting food and calling out Disco Fries as my top dish at his restaurant undersells his culinary talents. Having said that, this dish is pure decadence with SLABS of St Andre cheese over properly-made fries and rich veal gravy.

Square Root – New Orleans, LA. The meal I had at Square Root was one of the finest I enjoyed this year. The Red Fish with Horseradish Bubbles was THE dish in the long list of dishes we were served. The red fish was properly-cooked and bubbles made from horseradish were blown in the open kitchen, right in front of us.

Stages at One Washington – Dover, NH. Yes, two of my favorite dishes were enjoyed at Stages this year: Lomo and Egg and Cabrales-Stuffed Raspberries. Chef Evan Hennessey is simply brilliant and raspberries and blue cheese are now a favorite.

The Bachelor Farmer – Minneapolis, MN. Pork Meatballs, Spätzle in Lobster Broth was one of the several outstanding dishes I had at this Minneapolis gem. Pork and lobster? Yes, it totally works.

I’m looking forward to 2017 and the food adventures I’ll enjoy.

Happy New Year!!

Veronique

Filed Under: American, Culinary Travel Tales, Food & Wine Events Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
23 December 2016 Dried Cherry Divinity

Dried Cherry Divinity

December 23, 2016 By

divinityDay 9 of my 12 Days of Christmas Baking compilation.

My mom and I were just reminiscing about Christmas earlier this week and about how her mom was such an amazing, avid baker. She loved Christmas and hosting family dinners and around Christmas, her house was filled with holiday treats. She always had her go-to recipes: fudge, peanut butter and chocolate treats, sugar pie and her famous divinity with dried cherries.

The divinity treats were my mom’s favorite and they’ve never been made since then – pure white, crisp meringues gilded with specks of red dried cherries – very festive! This year, I’m resurrecting these traditional treats with Grandma on my mind. Noe that I‘m not a fan of cherries, so mine are made using chopped pistachios.  

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • ½ cup water
  • 1/3 cup light corn syrup
  • 2 egg whites
  • 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • 1/8 tsp. salt
  • ½ cup diced candied cherries

Directions:

  1. In a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the sugar, water and corn syrup and cook, stirring frequently, until the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture comes to a boil, about 3 minutes. After the mixture starts boiling, cook over medium heat, without stirring, until a candy thermometer reads 250 F (hard-ball stage). Remove the hot syrup from the heat, set aside.
  2. Place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until stiff peaks form, 3-4 minutes. With mixer running on high speed, carefully pour hot syrup in a slow, steady stream into the beaten egg whites. Add vanilla and salt. Beat on high speed just until candy loses its gloss and holds its shape, about 10 minutes. Stir in the dried cherries.
  3. Drop the meringue by the teaspoonful onto waxed paper. Store in airtight containers.

Makes about 3 dozen treats.

Recipe by Taste of Home.

Filed Under: American, Canadian, Desserts, Eggs Tagged With: , ,
21 December 2016 Ferrero Rocher Brownies

Ferrero Rocher Brownies

December 21, 2016 By

ferrero-rocher-browniesDay 8 of my 12 Days of Christmas Baking compilation.

Ah Ferrero Rocher chocolates….those golden little treats that are available year-around but sooooo prominent around the holidays. I’ve incorporated Rochers in cupcakes before to fabulous results (think chocolate cupcakes with Nutella frosting and a Rocher in the center), but this weekend, I tried them in my brownie recipe – chocolate hazelnut goodness!

I’m sure this would work fine if you used a commercial brownie mix but I used my amazing Ghirardelli Dark Fudgy Brownies.

Ingredients:

 

Directions:

  1. Prepare the brownie batter as per the instructions.
  2. Pour half the brownie batter in the prepared pan.
  3. Add 9 Ferrero Rocher in a pattern that will allow for a Rocher in the center of one of nine brownie squares (see photo for a visual).
  4. Cover the Rochers with the second half of the brownie batter and bake 3 minutes longer that the recipe calls for.

Yields 9 sizeable brownies.

Filed Under: American, Chocolate, Desserts Tagged With: , ,
20 December 2016 Chocolate Butterscotch Bars

Chocolate Butterscotch Bars

December 20, 2016 By

Chocolate Butterscotch BarsDay 7 of my 12 Days of Christmas Baking compilation.

When my friend Lisa comes over, I try to make desserts that are butterscotch/caramel-based as she’s a fan (so am I). While I adore my Chocolate Crumb Bars for similar flavors, this recipe only has four ingredients that I always have on hand and it’s a breeze to make!  

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup plus ¼ cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup plus 1/3 cup butter (I use salted)
  • ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Coat an 8×8 glass pan with cooking spray.
  3. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, ½ cup of brown sugar and the ¼ cup of butter. Use a pastry cutter or two better knives to combine, until mixture is crumbly and butter is the size of peas – i finish the job with my hands, working quickly not to melt all the butter. Press the mixture into bottom of the prepared pan.
  4. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the remaining 1/3 cup of butter. Add in the remaining ¼ cup of brown sugar and stir. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and pour over the crust – this mixture will not look very caramely, but hang in there, the taste sure will!
  5. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes – don’t overbake or the caramel will harden too much.
  6. Remove from oven and sprinkle the chocolate chips on top of the caramel, wait 2 minutes then spread gently with an offset spatula or a thin knife. Allow to cool completely then cut into bars.

Makes 12 to 16 bars, depending on how large you cut them. I get 16 out of this recipe as I find the bars rich, thus a smaller piece is just fine.

Filed Under: American, Chocolate, Desserts Tagged With: , ,
19 December 2016 Magic Vanilla Lemon Custard Cake

Magic Vanilla Lemon Custard Cake

December 19, 2016 By

lemon-magic-cakeDay 6 of my 12 Days of Christmas Baking compilation! I’ve been seeing a million Magic Cake recipes on Pinterest lately and had to see for myself if this craze was for real or not.

The food blogger whose recipe seems to ‘feed’ all the variations is Jo Cooks, so I used Jo’s recipe as the base for my personal trial.

I was skeptical but this is a pretty fab recipe and will please your fans of cakey cake and custardy cake.

Ingredients

  • 4 large eggs, yolks and whites separated, at room temperature
  • 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 stick or ½ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
  • ¾ cup of all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups of whole milk, microwaved for a minute to lukewarm temperature
  • Zest of 1 lemon.
  • Powdered sugar for dusting, optional

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line then grease (or lightly coat in cooking spray) an 8” x 8” baking dish with parchment paper, allowing for overhang, so it’s easier to get the cake out once baked.
  2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks with the sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
  3. Add the butter and the vanilla extract and beat for an additional minute.
  4. Add the flour and beat until just incorporated.
  5. Slowly add the milk and zest and beat until everything is just combined.
  6. In the clean bowl of an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form, about 4 minutes.
  7. Gently fold the egg whites into the cake batter without overworking them – it’s okay to still see a few clumps of egg whites in the batter.
  8. Pour the batter into the baking dish and bake for 40 to 70 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Start checking the color texture after 40 minutes – the cake is done when it jiggles slightly in the center but feels firm to touch. Mine took just under 50 minutes.
  9. Dust the cooled cake with powdered sugar, if using.

Makes 12-16 servings, depending on how small/large the portions are cut.

Filed Under: American, Desserts Tagged With: , , ,
18 December 2016 Maple Syrup Sugared Almonds

Maple Syrup Sugared Almonds

December 18, 2016 By

sugared-almondsDay 5 of my 12 Days of Christmas Baking compilation.

Warning – these nuts are uber addicting!!

I took an old recipe and gave it a Quebec twist by adding maple syrup. Double or triple the recipe for holiday gift giving or host(ess) presents. You could also double the recipe and eat them all yourself while lying on the couch watching Netflix…not that I’d know anything about that.

Ingredients:

  • 2 Tbsp. butter
  • 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
  • 2 Tbsp. maple syrup
  • 2 cups of skin-on almonds, not salted (could use other nuts)

Directions:

  1. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and the maple syrup and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Shut off the heat, add the almonds and stir to coat them in the maple mixture.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  3. Pour the almond mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10 minutes. Allow the almonds to cool completely prior to storing in an air-tight container.
  4. The almonds can be stored for up to a week at room temperature, in an air-tight container (not that they’ll last that long).

Makes 2 cups of nuts.

Filed Under: American, Appetizers, Desserts, Other Neat Things Tagged With: , , ,
17 December 2016 Homemade Pop Tarts

Homemade Pop Tarts

December 17, 2016 By

pop-tartsDay 4 of my 12 Days of Baking compilation.

I’m testing new recipes in anticipation of being with my pre-teen nieces over the holidays and pop tarts for breakfast seemed like a good idea! These are easy to make and pretty darn tasty, although I’m more of a savory breakfast fan.

These would be super for a holiday brunch decorated with holiday sprinkles.

Pastry Ingredients:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. granulated sugar
  • ¾ tsp. salt
  • ¾ cup plus 2 Tbsp. cold butter, cut into small cubes
  • 5 Tbsp. iced water
  • ½ cup plus 2 tsp. homemade or good quality jam
  • 1 large egg, beaten with a Tbsp. of water

Icing Ingredients:

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 5 Tbsp. heavy cream
  • Sprinkles, optional

unbaked-pop-tarts

Pastry Directions:

  1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix the flour, sugar and salt until combined.
  2. Add the butter and mix just until crumbly with pieces of butter the size of peas – don’t overmix.
  3. Add the iced water, 2 tablespoons at a time, and beat until the pastry forms a ball – again, don’t overmix which could cause a tough pastry. It’s possible you’ll only need 4 tablespoons to get the right consistency – a ball of dough. Chill the dough for 15 minutes.
  4. Place the dough on a floured work surface and roll using a rolling pin to a 24” by 14” rectangle. Using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter, cut the edges of the dough to get an even rectangle of 21” by 13”. Cutting from the short edge, cut the dough into three 4-inch wide strips. Now cutting from the wide edge, cut the three strips into six 3 ½-inch rectangles creating 18 rectangles.
  5. Add a tablespoon of jam to the center of half of the rectangles.
  6. Using the egg wash, wet the edges of the pastry with the jam on it. Place a pastry with no jam on top of the 9 pastries with jam. Using the tines of a fork, seal the edges of all the pop tarts to seal the jam inside during baking. Prick each pop tart three times with the times of a fork to allow steam to escape during baking.
  7. Place the pop tarts on a lightly greased or sprayed baking sheet and place in the fridge for an hour.
  8. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  9. Using the remaining egg wash, brush the top of the pop tarts. Bake the pop tarts for 23-25 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool before icing.

Icing Directions:

  1. In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and the cream until completely smooth.
  2. Divide the icing between the nine pop tarts. Garnish with sprinkles, if using.

Makes 9 pop tarts.

Filed Under: American, Breakfast, Desserts Tagged With: ,

Hot Chocolate Cookies

December 16, 2016 By

hot-chocolate-cookiesDay 3 of my 12 Days of Christmas Baking compilation!

We had our first snow of the season this week and as I was sipping a cup of hot cocoa, I thought of how great a cookie with these flavors would be. Who doesn’t like mini marshmallows anyways – nobody!

Ingredients:

  • 1¼ cups/2 ½ sticks butter, softened
  • ⅔ cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup Dutch-processed cocoa
  • 4 – 0.73 ounce packets of milk chocolate hot cocoa mix, I used Swiss Miss Classics Milk Chocolate Hot Cocoa Mix
  • 1 ¼ tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • ½ cup mini marshmallows

Directions:

  1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter, brown and granulated sugars together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
  2. Add eggs and vanilla and beat an additional minute.
  3. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, Dutch-processed cocoa, the hot cocoa mixes, the baking soda and the baking powder. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat just to combine.
  4. Fold in the chocolate chips and the mini marshmallows. Chill the dough for about 30 minutes.
  5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  6. Drop the dough by the tablespoonful onto greased cookie sheets, 2 inches apart.
  7. Bake for 9-10 minutes until the edges of the cookies are set. Cool on the cookie sheets for 5 minutes then place the cookies on cooling racks.

Yields 2 dozens.

Filed Under: American, Chocolate, Desserts Tagged With: , ,
15 December 2016 Reese’s Pieces Cookies

Reese’s Pieces Cookies

December 15, 2016 By

reeses-pieces-cookiesDay 2 of my 12 Days of Christmas Baking.

I must admit, I’m not a huge fan of peanut butter cookies. Why did I create this recipe, you might ask? Because I’m doing a 12 days of cookies compilation and don’t want to devour dozens upon dozens of cookies…..with this recipe, I, of course, tasted my final product – but, didn’t feel like having 2 dozens…genius!  

These would be even more PB-tasting by replacing ½ cup of the chocolate chips with peanut butter chips. Up to you how PB-fanatic your entourage is.

Ingredients:

  • ½ cup/1 stick butter, softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ cups Reese’s Pieces
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

  1. Add the butter to the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
  2. Add the granulated and brown sugar and beat an additional minute.
  3. Add the oil, the eggs and the vanilla and beat for another minute.
  4. In a medium bowl, sift the baking powder, the soda, the salt and the flour. Add the flour mixture to the batter and beat just enough to incorporate.
  5. Fold in the Reese’s Pieces and the chocolate chips. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
  6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  7. Drop the dough by the tablespoonful onto greased cookie sheets.
  8. Bake for 7­-8 minutes, until lightly golden brown. Cool on the cookie sheets for 5 minutes then place the cookies on cooling racks.

Yields about 2 dozen cookies.

Filed Under: American, Chocolate, Desserts Tagged With: ,
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