Chicken Thighs with Artichoke

I found this recipe in Better Homes and Garden... love it! I omit the mushrooms since neither of us are fans, and up the qty of artichokes. This meal is hearty and so so good... I have done it with both frozen artichokes and canned (when I couldnt find the frozen ones) and both ways worked just fine. Leftovers are yummy too! The tarragon gives it a nice punch, but isnt overwhelming either. Highly recommend!

From the BHG website (linked above):

2 tsp. plus 1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 oz. prosciutto, cut in thin strips
1-1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 9-oz. pkg. frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and drained
1 6-oz. pkg. cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. snipped fresh tarragon
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 14-oz. can reduced sodium chicken broth
1 Tbsp. white balsamic vinegar
Fresh tarragon sprigs (optional)

Directions
1. In large skillet cook prosciutto in the 2 teaspoons hot oil over medium-high heat 2 minutes or until crisp. Remove. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Cook in same skillet 8 to 10 minutes or until browned, turning once. Transfer to bowl; set aside.

2. Add remaining olive oil and artichokes to skillet. Cook and stir 3 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to bowl with chicken. Add mushrooms to skillet. Cook 3 minutes, stirring up browned bits, until golden. Stir in garlic and tarragon; cook 1 minute.

3. In second bowl whisk together flour, broth, and vinegar. Remove skillet from heat. Add broth mixture. Add chicken and artichokes. Return to heat. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, until thickened. Top with prosciutto and tarragon. Serves 4 to 6.

Nutrition Facts
Calories 346,
Total Fat (g) 14,
Saturated Fat (g) 3,
Monounsaturated Fat (g) 7,
Polyunsaturated Fat (g) 2,
Cholesterol (mg) 151,
Sodium (mg) 955,
Carbohydrate (g) 11,
Total Sugar (g) 2,
Fiber (g) 4,
Protein (g) 42,
Vitamin C (DV%) 12,
Calcium (DV%) 6,
Iron (DV%) 15,
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Root Vegetable Chicken Pot Pie

What a great find this recipe was! A healthy and easy chicken pot pie... I only regret finding it at the END of the winter, but it will (and already IS!) be a staple in our house going forward... yum!

From the Cooking Light website (linke above):


In the magazine's early days, we shied away from indulgent ingredients like puff pastry. Now, though, we understand that these items can fit into a healthful diet. This dish registers at just 30 percent calories from fat--root vegetables help balance the fat from the flaky topping. You can also bake in individual (10-ounce) ramekins or crocks for the same amount of time.

Yield 8 servings
Ingredients
3 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups frozen green peas, thawed
1 cup (1/2-inch) cubed peeled baking potato
1 cup (1/2-inch) cubed peeled sweet potato
1 cup (1/2-inch) cubed peeled celeriac (celery root) I omit this since - YUCK! - I use extra sweet potato and parsnips to make up for it
1 cup (1/2-inch-thick) slices parsnip
1 (10-ounce) package frozen pearl onions
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
2/3 cup all-purpose flour (about 3 ounces), divided
1 1/2 cups fat-free milk
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley I omit - again, yuck to parsley! blech!
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray
1 sheet frozen puff pastry dough, thawed
Preparation
Preheat oven to 400°.
Bring broth to a boil in a large Dutch oven. Add peas and next 5 ingredients (through onions) to pan; cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 6 minutes. Add chicken; cook for 5 minutes or until chicken is done. Remove chicken and vegetables from broth with a slotted spoon; place in a large bowl.
Increase heat to medium. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Place all but 1 tablespoon flour in a medium bowl; gradually add milk to bowl, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Add milk mixture to broth; cook for 5 minutes or until thickened, stirring frequently. Stir in chicken mixture, parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper. Spoon mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
Sprinkle remaining 1 tablespoon flour on a work surface; roll dough into a 13 x 9-inch rectangle. Place dough over chicken mixture, pressing to seal at edges of dish. Cut small slits into dough to allow steam to escape; coat dough lightly with cooking spray. Place dish on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake at 400° for 16 minutes or until pastry is browned and filling is bubbly.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 388 (30% from fat)
Fat: 13g (sat 2g,mono 3g,poly 7.1g)
Protein: 21.9g
Carbohydrate: 45.7g
Fiber: 4.4g
Cholesterol: 34mg
Iron: 3mg
Sodium: 790mg
Calcium: 115mg
Maureen Callahan, Cooking Light, SEPTEMBER 2007

RtR: Chickpea Fries

This month's Recipes to Rival challenge was to either make chickpea fries or falafel. I chose the fries and they were GREAT! So easy, too. I made half my batch in a frrying pan with some olive oil but they because a mess, and fell apart. I baked the second half and those ones came out GREAT! I sprinkled them with shredded parmesan before baking, and that was a nice extra flavor. And baking is healthier to boot! We will definitely have these again (especially since I still have a ton of the flour left) but I think in the future I would make them a bit thinner to hopefully get more of a crispness. My dipping sauce was a mix of roasted garlic, dijon mustard, and ketchup... yum!

I am currently without a camera and, PSA, those disposable digital cameras from CVS etc? um yeah they suck. So... no pics :( I need to remedy this, I know....

Check us out at www.recipestorival.com !!

DB: Strudel - not one of my favorite things!!!!

The May Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Linda of make life sweeter! and Courtney of CoCo Cooks. They chose Apple Strudel from the recipe book Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafe's of Vienna, Budapest and Prague by Rick Rodgers.

Sadly, my camera is broken and the disposable one I used to capture my attempt... well, stunk. So no pics! The result for me was ok... it looked great and came together easily. I let my dough rest for a full 2 hours so it stretched out very thin, very easily. I made mine with yummy raspberry and rhubarb filling - the filling was great! But the strudel itself... ehhh. I just didnt think it tasted that great. The butter that was melted and spread everywhere didnt really come through with the buttery flavor I love in pastries, and there was no sweetness (even though I sprinkled mine with vanilla sugar!) It tasted sort of cardboard ish and I didnt love the texture of the bread crumbs at all :( Disappointing! I guess crisp (apple) strudel ISNT one of my favorite things, and I had high hopes!

Paste function isnt working in dumb blogger right now for some reason, so no recipe here!!!