Lemon Chicken Romano

I've been in a lemon mood lately.  Maybe it's because it's *supposed* to be spring time and lemons are so fresh and springy.  : )  Anyway, this chicken is really good.  I left mine in the oven for a little longer than necessary because our home teachers were over, so the cheese got pretty brown on top but it was still juicy, tasty and delish.  Oh, I also altered the cheese a little.  I used grated Parmesan in the bread crumb mixture (instead of Romano) and I used shredded Italian blend cheese for the rest of the cheese in the recipe because buying all of the cheese separately was going to be a little pricey since I didn't have them on hand.  Not that I wouldn't use it for other things, but the Italian blend was just easier and more economical.  Anyway, this is really good.  : )

Lemon Chicken Romano

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and pounded to 1-inch thick

1 C. shredded Mozzarella cheese 

1 C. shredded Provolone cheese

2 large eggs

2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1 cup Panko bread crumbs

1/4 C. finely shredded Romano cheese  (or Parmesan)

1 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano (or dried)

Zest of 2 lemons 

1tsp garlic powder

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil

2 1/2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Lemon slices or wedges for serving (you can just use the one that was zested)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle each side of the chicken cutlet lightly with salt, let stand at room temperature 20 minutes. Combine Mozzarella and Provolone (or Italian blend) cheese in a bowl, set aside.
In a shallow dish, whisk together flour and egg until smooth. In a separate shallow dish, toss together Panko bread crumbs, Romano (or Parmesan) cheese, oregano, lemon zest, garlic powder and 1/4 tsp pepper. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Working with 1 chicken cutlet at a time, dredge chicken in egg mixture coating both sides and allowing excess to run off, then immediately transfer to bread crumb mixture and coat both sides with mixture, while pressing gently to allow crumbs to adhere. Transfer chicken to a plate and repeat process with remaining chicken cutlets. Pour half of the olive oil and vegetable oil into a 10-inch non-stick skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Once oil is hot, add 2 coated chicken cutlets and fry without moving them until bottom is crispy and golden brown, about 2 minutes, then using metal tongs rotate to opposite side and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer fried chicken to a large plate lined with paper towels to drain. Repeat process with remaining 2 pieces of chicken.
Place cutlets on rimmed baking sheet, sprinkle tops with Mozzarella (or Italian blend) cheese mixture and transfer to preheated oven to bake until internal temperature registers 165 degrees on an instant read thermometer  about 12-15 minutes (you can broil during the last 1 - 2 minutes if desired). Remove from oven and garnish with lemon slices or wedges, serve warm. Squeeze fresh lemon juice from lemon slices over chicken just before enjoying.

Recipe altered slightly from cookingclassy.com

Pink Grapefruit Smoothie

I made this smoothie for breakfast this morning and it was good and refreshing.  Joshie even liked it - so it's definitely a keeper!  : )

Pink Grapefruit Smoothie

Ingredients:
Pink or Ruby Red grapefruit
1 banana
1 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 cup orange juice*

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth.  Enjoy!

*I didn't have any o.j. so I added about 1/4 cup of milk instead, and I also added some chia seeds just for some extra health benefits.  : )  Mmmm...mm!

Recipe altered slightly from craftylittlegnome.com

Flourless Chocolate Brownie Cookies

Mmmm....Mia and I whipped up a batch of these delightsome cookies the other day.  They are a little bit like  Go To Bed Mints, only chocolate, and a little chewier inside.  They're chewy, crispy, chocolaty, yummy.  The original recipe didn't call for marshmallows....Mia and I added those because that just sounded good.  : )  The batter is stiff to mix up so it might be best to use a stand mixer - my hand mixer was working pretty hard.

Flourless Chocolate Brownie Cookies

Ingredients

• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 2/3 cup unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 3 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• mini marshmallows 

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a large bowl, mix together powdered sugar, cocoa powder and sea salt. Add in vanilla. Whisk in egg whites until just moistened. Add in chocolate chips.
3. Spoon thick fudgy batter onto cookie sheets in small mounds.  Gently press 3-4 marshmallows onto each cookie. Chill for 5 or so minutes to keep them from spreading too much when they bake.
4. Bake for 14 minutes or until tops are glossy and lightly cracked.

Notes

These cookies are considered “gluten-free” if using gluten free chocolate chips.

Recipe altered slightly from creativekitchenadventures.com

Bloomin' Brie Bowl

Mmmm.....we had this very tasty appetizer for, well, an appetizer on Easter.  It was very good.
The only thing that I would change would be to use a larger round of Brie.  8 oz was just a bit too small, we felt, for all of the bread.  But if you can only find an 8 oz round go ahead and use it.  : )  Anyway, it was really tasty.  You should give it a try!

Bloomin' Brie Bowl

1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 round sourdough bread (1 pound loaf)
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 (8 ounces) Brie cheese (or larger if you can find it.)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Mix spices and sugar; set aside.
3. Place bread on baking sheet. Cut circle in top of bread and remove bread center to make room for the wheel of Brie.
4. Spread butter on bread; sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of the spice mixture.
5. With knife, make 2-inch cuts at 1-inch intervals around edge of bread.
6. Remove rind from Brie and place in bread. Sprinkle Brie with remaining spice mixture. Replace top of bread.
7. Bake 20 to 30 minutes. To serve, remove bread top and break into bite size pieces. Dip bread pieces in hot Brie.

Recipe from foodchannel.com

Parmesan Encrusted Salmon

This is a really yummy way to cook salmon.  I didn't really measure anything when I made this - I spread 1 clove of minced garlic on each fillet of salmon (they were big), then sprinkled the Italian seasoning on and covered each fillet with cheese.  Yum! 

Parmesan Encrusted Salmon Fillet

4 (4-ounce) salmon fillets, thawed
1 1/2-2 C. grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat the oven to 375°.  Spray a baking sheet or shallow pan w/ non-stick cooking spray.
Place the salmon fillets on the baking sheet, skin side down.  Spread the garlic on the fillets, then sprinkle with Italian seasoning and salt.  Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese onto the fillets.
Bake the salmon for 10-20 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.
Serves 1.


Recipe altered slightly from food.com.

Macaroni and Cheese... with beans

This recipe is tweaked just a bit from Jessica Seinfeld's Deceptively Delicious and it is really quite tasty.  I haven't liked quite a few recipes from that cookbook, but every now and then I get that urge to cook a little healthier and I end up trying a few more.  Anyway, the texture is not quite as creamy as your average mac and cheese since it has a bean puree, but it's still yummy (and you can add a bit more milk to make it a touch creamier).

Macaroni and Cheese with White Beans

2 - 2.5 cups spiral pasta
1 cup milk
1/2 cup canned white beans, rinsed and drained (I used Great Northern)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Bring large pot of salted water to a boil, add pasta, and cook until al dente.  While pasta is cooking, combine milk and beans in a food processor and process until smooth.
In a large saucepan, over medium heat, cook bean mixture about 1-2 minutes.  Add cheese and cook until melted and creamy, 1-2 minutes longer.  Stir in spices.  Serve warm.

Sopa de Lima

Since it's snowing it seemed like a good soup day. J naturally didn't try it but everyone else was really liked it. Being the lime lover that I am I was drawn to this. I was a little concerned that it might be too tart with 6 limes in it so I only put the juice of 5 and it was perfect - you could taste the lime but it wasn't too tart. I may just try 6 next time...

Dad tried it and said, "Mmmm, this is good. This is a keeper. It tastes very similar to what we ate in Mexico." Nice.

(I love that my picture is upside down - it just adds character, don't you think?)

Sopa de Lima (Mexican Lime Soup)

9 C chicken broth

1 C shredded chicken 

1 tsp onion powder

5 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves

1 tsp olive oil

1 poblano pepper, seeded and minced

4 green onions, chopped

3 large roma tomatoes

1 can black beans, rinsed

5-6 limes, juiced (to taste)

1/2 lime

1/3 C chopped fresh cilantro

Cooked rice

Sour cream

Tortilla chips or strips

Combine broth, chicken, onion powder, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper and thyme in a large stock pot; bring to a simmer.  Meanwhile, in a skillet, heat the oil over medium-hot heat; add minced pepper, onions, and tomatoes and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. (You may need to turn the heat down to medium so they don’t scorch.)  Add tomato mixture to soup along with black beans; bring back to a boil. Add lime juice and the 1/2 lime; cook another 10 minutes over medium heat. Remove pot from heat and remove the 1/2 lime; stir in the cilantro.

Put a scoop of rice in each soup bowl* then top with soup. Add sour cream and chips if desired. 

*If you add the rice to the soup bowls rather than the whole soup it keeps the rice from getting soggy and soaking up all the broth so store any left over rice separately as well.  

Serves 8.

Altered slightly from a recipe on allrecipes.com.