Tommaso’s Sinful Delights

This is a great dish to make when you’re strapped for time and considering picking up that phone to order Chinese take out.  If you have 30 minutes, and the right ingredients, you’ll save yourself alot of calories and enjoy a much more flavorful dinner.

Chicken & Vegetable Stir-Fry

2 TBSP vegetable oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
2 TBSP low-sodium soy sauce
1 TBSP sesame oil
1 TBSP rice wine vinegar
1 TBSP ginger, minced (optional)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 package of frozen stir fry vegetables
1 c chicken stock + amount that rice calls for
1 c brown rice (cooked according to instructions)
1 tsp sesame seeds, toasted*
salt and pepper to taste

Mix the soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar ginger and garlic in a medium bowl.  Add cubed chicken and marinate for 15 minutes.

Heat vegetable oil in a saute pan.  Remove chicken from marinade, but reserve the liquid for later use.  Sauté chicken until browned, about 5 minutes. 

Add frozen vegetables to chicken and continue cooking until vegetables thaw, for about 3 minutes.  Add reserved liquid to sauté pan and 1c chicken stock.  Cook for 5 minutes longer, or until vegetables are cooked thoroughly and liquid is reduced. 

Serve over rice and top with toasted sesame seeds.

*To toast sesame seeds, place in a frying pan on a medium flame and cook until browned.  Be careful, they will burn easily.

A friend was asking my suggestion what he should make for dinner.  I thought for a minute about a few things I had a craving for and are in season, combined his suggestion for whole wheat pasta, and put this recipe together.

Fresh Summer Salad

-1/2c olive oil
-1 medium red onion
- 3 ears of sweet corn
-1 pint of grape tomatoes
-1 lemon
-1 cup feta cheese
-2 cups sugar snap peas
-4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
-1 tsp herbs de Provence
-1 TBSP fresh oregano, chopped or 1 tsp dried oregano
-1lb whole wheat penne pasta
-salt and pepper

Juice one lemon and whisk with 1/4 c olive oil in a small bowl.  In a deep dish, place chicken breasts and season with salt and pepper.  Pour lemon mixture over chicken breasts and marinate for at least 30 minutes. 

Preheat grill (or you can saute.)  Grill chicken breasts 8-10 min per side. 

While the chicken cooks, boil the corn for about 5 minutes, then set aside to cool.  Prepare the water for the pasta and bring to a rolling boil.  After salting the water, cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package.  While the pasta boils, preheat a saute pan with 2 TBSP olive oil and saute the red onion for 8 minutes.  When onions are soft and caramelized, place in a large mixing bowl.  Add 2 TBSP olive oil to the same saute pan and saute peas for 3-4 minutes.  Add the peas to the onions in the bowl.

Take each ear of corn and slice off the kernals with a sharp knife.  Add corn to the onions and peas.  When the chicken is done, cut it up into cubes.  Add it to the bowl and combine the grape tomatoes, feta, cooked pasta, oregano and herbs de provence. 

Stir and serve warm or chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

As I’m sure most of you do, I get sick of eating chicken all the time too.  I’m constantly thinking of new dishes to create using this healthy, lean protein that are quick and easy. 

Chicken Medallions with Tarragon Cream Sauce

1/4 c olive oil
-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts; sliced in evenly in half, lengthwise and cut into 3-4 inch pieces
-1/2 c flour, plus 1 TBSP
-1 medium onion, chopped
-1/2 c white wine
-2 cups chicken stock
-1/4 c sour cream
-1 TBSP Dijon mustard
-1 tsp dried tarragon or 1 TBSP fresh tarragon (or more)*
-Salt and pepper

Salt and pepper both sides of chicken medallions.  Dredge chicken in 1/2c  flour in a shallow dish and set aside. 

Heat 2 TBSP olive oil in a sauté pan.  Sauté chicken breasts, 1 batch at a time about 3-4 minutes per side, until browned.  Remove chicken from sauté pan and set aside on a plate.

 Add 2 TBSP olive oil to pan and toss in chopped onions.  Sauté onions for 4 minutes, scraping up any browned bits from the pan.  Add 1 TBSP flour to coat the onions.  Add wine and deglaze the pan, reduce for 1 minute.  Add chicken stock and tarragon* and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to medium and return the cooked chicken to the pan to finish cooking.  Cook for 5 minutes longer.  Whisk in sour cream and mustard and cook until thickened. 

Season with salt and pepper and serve over a bed of spinach or rice. 

Note: Tarragon is very strong-flavoured herb.  If you don’t like the flavour, you can substitute thyme.  When using fresh tarragon, add at the end of cooking before serving so the herbs don’t wilt.

As Winter drawn upon us, many of you have been requesting soup recipes.  This is a hearty recipe that is very filling, low in fat and a great source of fiber.  Besides being good for you, chicken soup is the ultimate comfort food!

Chicken Barley Soup

2 TBSP olive oil
1 whole chicken, cooked and shredded*
8 cups chicken stock
4 stalks celery, chopped 
4 carrots, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup barley
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dried thyme
sea salt and pepper

Heat olive oil in a large stock pot.  Sauté celery, carrots, onion for about 3-4 minutes.  Add garlic and sauté for 2 more minutes.  Add chicken stock, shredded chicken, bay leaf, thyme and parsley.   Cover and simmer for at least one hour or until barley is cooked.  Season with salt and pepper.

*I usually cheat and buy a cooked rotisserie chicken from the store since I don’t have time to roast one at home.

Polenta Crusted Chicken

2 TBSP olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup polenta or cornmeal
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350°F . Grease a 9″ x 13″ casserole dish with olive oil. 

Season both sides of chicken breasts with garlic powder, salt and pepper.  Set aside three bowls to dredge chicken.  Place flour in one, beat 2 eggs, plus 1 TBSP water in another and mix polenta and paprika in the third.  Take each breast of chicken, dredge in flour, then egg mixture, followed by a coating of the seasoned polenta.  Repeat for remaining breasts of chicken. 

Place in oiled casserole dish and drizzle top of breasts with olive oil.  Bake for about 50 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 180°F  and top is golden brown.

A lot of people do not like curry.  It can be overpowering in a dish, taking away from any other flavors.  The sweetness of the melon in this chicken salad balances the curry out, so if you don’t like curry I think you’ll enjoy this.  It’s savory and sweet, and very refreshing on a hot summer day.

Curry Chicken Salad

4 poached skinless, boneless chicken breasts (cooled)
1 cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 cup cantaloupe, balled or cut into bite-size pieces
1 cup honeydew melon, balled or cut into bite-size pieces
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/4c + 2 TBSP low-fat mayonnaise
1 TBSP curry
1/4 cup toasted almonds

To poach chicken, season chicken breasts with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning.  In a sauté pan, cover and simmer in water or chicken stock for 40 minutes.  Chop into bite-sized pieces and allow to cool in refrigerator.

In a large bowl, combine cold chicken, cucumber, melon, cantaloupe, yogurt, mayonnaise and curry.  Stir to combine.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (better if overnight to allow flavors to marinate.)

Serve over a bed of lettuce and top with toasted almonds.

I’ve found that you either love garlic or hate it.  If you’re anything like me, I could eat it all day long. Every recipe I make must have extra than what it calls for.  So, if you’re a garlic lover, you’re going to love this recipe.  If you don’t, just use less and the flavour of thyme will be the highlight of the dish. 

Garlic Chicken with a Sherry Sauce

4 TBSP olive oil
salt and pepper
1c flour
4 boneless chicken breasts
10 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 c sherry wine
1 1/2 c chicken stock
sprigs of fresh thyme (approx 1 1/2 TBSP) or 1tsp dried thyme
1/4 c your favorite olives, chopped
2 c cooked brown rice

Slice the chicken breasts in half, lengthwise (you’ll have 8 thin slices.)  Preheat sauté pan on medium heat with 2 TBSP olive oil. Season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt and pepper.  In a casserole dish or plate, place the flour and coat each piece of chicken in flour.  Sauté chicken breasts for 5 minutes per side, or until golden brown.  You won’t be able to cook all 8 pieces at once, so place on a plate and cover with aluminum foil after they’re done.  Repeat with remaining chicken breasts and put on plate.

Turn flame to high.  Deglaze the saute pan with the sherry, scraping the browned bits in the pan (this is essential for a flavorful sauce.)  Add the chicken stock, garlic and thyme and reduce (about 3 minutes.)  Add the chicken back to the sauté pan and cook for about 3 more minutes.  Season with salt and pepper if needed.

Serve chicken over rice with garlic-sherry sauce spooned on top and chopped olives.