Lemon-y Za'atar Chicken

Guess what? It's time for another chef spotlight! My awesome roommate (you know, the one who convinced me to start this whole thing in the first place) decided to pry the knife and cutting board from my cold dead hands in order to take over the kitchen and show me some of her culinary skills. I'm not the only VD resident of 1J with Mediterranean blood running through their veins! This post was all Victoria. Get ready people, this recipe is a sure winner winner chicken dinner.

Ingredients:

4 pcs. (cleaned) chicken breast
2 lemons
4 - 6 garlic cloves
Za'atar (with sesame seeds), enough to completely cover the chicken
3 tbsp. olive oil
salt
pepper
cayenne pepper

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 375.


Take the chicken cutlets (or whole pieces of chicken) and place in a pyrex baking square. Cover the cutlets with olive oil and the juice of one lemon. Then, Cover all the chicken with a full layer of za'atar so that the actual chicken is pretty much invisible. Flip the breasts over and cover the other side with za'atar as well.

Next, place the pieces of garlic (chopped in halves) throughout the dish along with the second lemon - sliced into quarters (see image).

Garnish with a sparing amount of sea salt, a tablespoon of pepper and a dash of cayenne pepper (adjust if needed depending on your taste buds).

Bake in the oven for 25 minutes, or until the inside of the chicken reaches a temperature of 165 degrees. Serves 4. Enjoy!

Sauteed Spinach & Chick Peas

Packed with protein, fiber and iron I am not ashamed to say I love this little bean. Like most of my peers, whenever I go back home it is most likely that I swipe something(s) from my mom's cabinet to come take residence in my apartment. This week it was $1.29 can of chick peas. Ridiculous I know, but I find much comfort in the fact that you all do it too! So, what started with a stolen $1.29 can o' chick peas became a recipe I will surely be adding to my arsenal. The random combination of cayenne and cinnamon I was feeling really turned out well paired with the spinach/chickpea dynamic (if I may say so myself). Needless to say, there was not one bean left behind.

Ingredients:

2 packages fresh spinach, rinsed
1 can (or 20 oz fresh) chick peas
1 shallot, minced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 lemon, juiced
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 shakes cinnamon
1/4 cup olive oil
salt & pepper

Procedure:

Open up the can of chick peas and strain out the liquid. Run under cold water for approximately 3 minutes to remove as much of the sodium from the canning process as possible. (If you have the time and patience to reconstitute fresh dry chick peas, by all means...be my guest!)

Heat 2 tbsp. olive oil on a medium high heat. When the oil is hot, throw in the minced shallot and keep mixing for approximately 2-3 minutes. Then, add in four cloves of crushed garlic and stir for another minute, before the garlic starts to brown.

Next, toss in the thoroughly rinsed chick peas, cayenne pepper, two dashes of cinnamon and some salt and pepper. Raise the heat to high, and leave the chickpea mixture on the flame, stirring every so often, until the chick peas start to crisp up a bit.

Once a tad crispy, add in the two bags of spinach, juice of one lemon, and 2 more tablespoons of olive oil. Stir it up. The spinach should shrivel faster than your boy toy in a hot tub. Serves 4. Enjoy!

Cornmeal Crusted Tuna

US Dietary Guidelines have been updated this year to include a 6-8oz serving of fatty fish (fish rich in omega-3's) per week in order to fulfill the requirements of a healthy diet. Since I do not generally care for salmon all that much, Tuna is the next best fatty fish option for my taste buds. For a while now I have been thinking of making corn-nut crusted tuna, but of course Whole Foods does not sell those so I opted for cornmeal instead and let me tell you, I ain't complaining.

Ingredients:

For the slaw;
8 oz. chopped red cabbage
2 tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp. orange vinegar (can sub regular white or red wine vinegar here)
1 tbsp. sesame oil
1/4 cup sesame seeds, toasted
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
optional: 3 thin slices avocado

For the cormeal crusted tuna;
2 6-8 oz Tuna steaks
1/3 cup cornmeal
2 limes zested (save the rest of the lime to squeeze later over the fish)
1 tsp. Hungarian (spicy) paprika
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
olive oil (for pan searing)

1 tbsp. wasabi mayonnaise + 2 tbsp. low fat mayonnaise

Procedure:


Mix together all the slaw ingredients; chopped cabbage, toasted sesame seeds, soy sauce, sesame oil, orange vinegar, salt & pepper. Place in refrigerator while you prepare the tuna steaks.

In a bowl, mix together cornmeal, lime zest, Hungarian paprika, garlic powder, salt & pepper. Pat down the tuna steaks and then completely cover with the cornmeal mixture. Heat a pan with olive oil over a medium heat, when the oil is hot place the tuna steak on the pan and sear on each side for about 1 minute per side, or until desired level of done-ness.

Slice the fish and plate on top of the wasabi mayonnaise mixture (1 tbsp. wasabi mayonnaise + 2 tbsp. low fat mayonnaise). Plate with cabbage slaw and place 3 thin slices of avocado on top of the slaw if desired. Squeeze some fresh lime juice over the tuna. Serves 2. Enjoy!

OMG Sea Bass

OMG Sea Bass: Orange Marmalade Ginger Sea Bass

After a LONG day of classes and exams, an amazing guy friend of mine, Phillup Donnahue, had dinner waiting for me. Not going to lie, it felt amazing having a homemade dinner cooked for me, for a slight change. OMG! This piece of fish was hands down the best sea bass I have ever tasted, no exaggeration. I could not have done a better job myself. Since I had no part in this Bass, this is a complete chef spotlight on Sir Phillup. All details, ingredients and photos were provided by him. A girl can get used to this kind of treatment ;-).

Ingredients:


For the marinade;
I tblsp orange marmalade
2 garlic cloves - crushed
2 pieces of ginger (equiv to the cloves) - crushed
1/2 lime zested and juiced
salt & pepper - to taste

2, 8 ounce pieces of chilean sea bass, skinned
1 handful fresh spinach leaves
2 scallions, chopped (for garnish)

Procedure:

Combine marinade ingredients, and add a dash of water to spin it all together.


Line the bottom of the fish with spinach leaves. With a fork, spread the marinade evenly over both pieces of fish, (leave a little for the end) and let marinate in the fridge for 30 min.


Place in oven (preheated to 375) for 25 min or until desired firmness.

Garnish with scallions.

Suck it.
-Phillup Donnahue

Eggplant-Seitan Parmesan

Odd it sounds, I know. I've made both Eggplant Parmesan and Seitan Parmesan separately, but after discussing the dishes with a few friends, I was inspired to merge the two, and a brilliant merge it was indeed. As part of my religion it is customary not to mix meat and milk, so I have never (intentionally) consumed chicken Parmesan or any sort of chicken and cheese combo (to my utter dismay). For a close chicken second, I always rely on Mr. Seitan and he certainly did not fall short in this dish. Be forewarned, this is a step-heavy dish and may require some time, but I assure you all- it is most definitely worth it.

Ingredients:
grill pan (Yes! First time I got to use this new toy. So fun...)

1 package plain seitan
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tbsp. salt
1.5 tbsp. pepper
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. cayenne
1 tbsp. dry oregano
1 tsp. paprika
1 egg

4 medium tomatoes (I purchased brown kumato tomatoes from whole foods- if they are available to you go for it! They are deliciously sweet and juicy.)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
2 tbsp. olive oil

1 large eggplant
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
2 tbsp. olive oil

2/3 cup marinara sauce
2/3 cup mozzarella cheese (If you like smoked mozzarella, go for it!! I made some extra on the side for myself with fresh smoked mozzarella and it was amazing. )
8-10 fresh basil leaves

OPTIONAL: For the balsamic reduction
2 cups balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp. honey

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 375.


Cut tomatoes into small rounds approximately 1/2" thick. Blot the rounds to dry them off a bit and then place the tomato rounds in a greased Pyrex, cover with grated parmesan, salt & pepper. Next, drizzle the olive oil on top. Place them in the oven for about 20-25 minutes until they are golden brown as shown above. Set aside.

If you choose to make the balsamic reduction to drizzle on top (which should be the choice you make, duhh) take the 2 cups of balsamic and bring to a boil. (Now, it will probably get a bit smelly as the vinegar boils so take caution). Once boiling, add in the 2 tbsp. honey and stir on a low heat. Cover and let simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the reduction coats the back of a spoon. My awesome sous chef Raquel made this for me as I prepared the other ingredients. She's the bestest.


Sift together the whole wheat flour, oregano, paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, salt and pepper.


Cut the seitan into thin slices, kind of like filets. Dip it into the egg, then the flour mixture. Place it on a greased grilled pan and grill for about 2-3 minutes on each side until browned. Set aside.






























Next, cut the eggplant into 1/2" rounds. Rub in the olive oil, salt and pepper. Place the eggplant on a grill pan for approximately 4 minutes on each side, rotating 45 degrees after 2 minutes (to get cross hatch marks). Flip over and repeat. Set aside.

Spray a rectangular Pyrex with non-stick olive oil spray, spread out a layer of eggplant rounds, making sure not to overlap. Place a spoonful of marinara above and below each circle. Then, place the seitan cutlet on top for the second layer. Now, take the eggplant and make a seitan sandwich of sorts by placing the next layer of eggplant on top of the seitan. (If your feeling extra adventurous, you can add low fat ricotta here as well). Add the tomato on top of all the eggplant rounds. Next, take the tomato slices and cover the eggplant. Then, sprinkle the mozzarella on top of the eggplant and finish each serving with a fresh basil leave. Bake for 15-20 minutes until all the cheese melts. Then broil the last 2 minutes to enhance the cheesy goodness. Drizzle balsamic reduction on top. Serves 4. Enjoy!

Truffled Angel Hair with Peas

This dish is what I like to call comfort food on crack. Truffled angel hair with peas is my go-to when all I can think about is pasta. I should warn you- you may not be able to stop after just one portion, but I dare you to try...

Ingredients:

1 box whole wheat angel hair (thin) spaghetti
1 16oz bag of frozen peas
4 cloves of garlic
1 small shallot
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons truffle oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt & Pepper, to taste

Procedure:

Boil pasta al dente (firm, but not hard).

While the pasta boils, mince the shallot and garlic (or put the garlic cloves in a garlic press). Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil on a medium high heat. When the oil is hot, begin to saute the onion. After about 3 minutes of sauteing the onion, add in the garlic and saute for another minute or two (before the garlic begins to brown).

Add in the frozen peas, mix well. Now, throw in the rest of the olive oil (2 tablespoons), 1 tsp. cayenne pepper, 1 tbsp. salt, & 1 tbsp. black pepper. Stir and mix well, letting the peas soften. This should take no more than 5 minutes.

Toss together strained angel hair with the sauteed peas, add in 2-3 tablespoons truffle oil (taste as you add to see how strong of a truffle flavor you would like), and some more salt & pepper (again tasting as you add to your desired taste level). Top with grated Parmesan cheese. Serves 6. Enjoy!

Kale Chips

Growing up, kale was never found on my family's dining room table. Until I learned about it in Nutrition and Health, kale was not even a part of my vocabulary. We learned of it's high vitamin K, A & C content, its fiber content and many other nutrients like iron, calcium, etc. The benefits of the cruciferous powerhouse sounded so enticing, but if it tasted good why was it never in my refrigerator before? Insanely skeptical I started googling kale recipes, and stumbled upon one that promised only good things. After making my own version of roasted kale the crispy crunch left me no choice but to surrender and admit defeat. They were as addicting as potato chips, but with only 36 calories per cup (of raw kale) they are much nicer to my hips. Trust me peeps, this recipe is most definitely worth trying. Not to mention it takes all of 20 minutes to prepare from start to finish!

Ingredients:

1 bunch kale
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder (optional)

Procedure:

Preheat the oven to 425.

Wash and dry the kale leaves very well (attention: there can be a lot of dirt in the center by the stem). Next, remove the leaves from the stem by simply pulling the leaf off, as you would when removing herbs from their stems. Toss the stems.

Chop the leaves into smaller- 1 inch pieces. Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and optional garlic powder. Also, if you want spicy chips consider using cayenne or crushed red pepper as well. Lay them out on a greased baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes, just as the leaves start to brown, pull them out and let them sit for a few seconds to finish crunching up. Peace out Lay's. Serves 4. Enjoy!