Chicken with Lemon and Caper Sauce

Something about cooking that I love is trying recipes that include new, somewhat unknown ingredients. In this recipe, I used two of those ingredients - capers and kale. I've definitely used capers once or twice in the past but the other day I got to thinking, "what exactly IS a caper?" Is is a seed? A legume? A bean? A vegetable? And as for kale, what sort of leaf is it? Is it from a plant? A bush? A flower? A tree? There were so many unanswered questions!!

Well, I just went googling for some answers. Capers, I've discovered, are actually unripened flower buds (who knew?!) The plant is native to the Mediterranean and some parts of Asia, and capers have been mentioned in literature dating as far back as 3000 BC.

Kale is a bit closer to home (Europe and North America.) It is the most robust cabbage type, known to be more hardy than any other vegetable. I also learned that it's extremely healthy for you, being full of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties.

The best part, in my opinion? Although these ingredients may not be pantry staples, they are both delicious and full of flavor. They bring a new element to an otherwise common dish (chicken) and using new ingredients like these will ensure that home cooking doesn't get boring. I think its important to challenge yourself with something other than everyday ingredients.

(and for the record - this recipe is one of my new favs - super easy and tasty!)

Chicken with Lemon Caper Sauce

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt + pepper
3 TBS flour
2 TBS olive oil
3/4 C chicken broth
juice of one lemon
2 TBS capers, drained
3 TBS chopped kale

1. Place chicken between two sheets of plastic wrap, and pound to an even thickness using a meat mallet (if you don't have one, invest in one!!! It's priceless!) Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Place flour in a shallow dish and dredge chicken in flour.

2. Heat oil over medium high heat. Add chicken to pan. Cook 4 minutes on each side. Add broth, lemon juice and capers to pan. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 5-7 minutes. Sprinkle chicken with kale.

3. Remove chicken from pan and set aside. Bring sauce to a boil and cook several minutes until slightly thickened. Return chicken to pan to heat through. Serve chicken with sauce drizzled over it.

Note - goes perfectly over wild rice because the sauce coats the rice and it's delish :)

Vegetable Meatloaf with Balsamic Glaze

This past weekend, I took a major - and I mean major! - step out of my comfort zone. You see, as long as cooking has been a hobby of mine (so...about five years,) I have trusted one meatloaf recipe, and one only. It can be found in my very first blog post, and its called Brown Sugar Meatloaf. I've never strayed from it, though I've been tempted!

While going through my little black box of cards containing recipes dating back to my first cooking magazine, I stopped at a brand new meatloaf recipe - "Vegetable Meatloaf with Balsamic Glaze." Several thoughts went through my head: "I've got a ton of balsamic in the pantry that needs to be used. I can't cheat on my old meatloaf. This recipe is loaded with tons of veggies and its so colorful! I can't cheat on my old meatloaf. Oh, the glaze looks so yummy! I can't cheat on my old meatloaf."

Eventually, I gave in. At first, the finished recipe was hard for me to get used to - I'm so accustomed to the sweet taste of Brown Sugar Meatloaf, whereas this one is very tart, thanks to the balsamic. The texture is different as well, because the chopped veggies are so loaded with moisture, that the meatloaf doesn't hold its shape quite as well as others. I think the most rewarding aspect of trying this new meatloaf was Brett's reaction - he loved it!!! He even said, "I am obsessed with it!" after eating 4 helpings for lunch the next day.

So, there you have it. I've betrayed my one and only meatloaf recipe...and it paid off! Here's to always trying new things, but keeping the old favorites close to your heart.

Vegetable Meatloaf with Balsamic Glaze

extra virgin olive oil
3 bell peppers, finely chopped (use different colors!)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper
1 large egg
dried herbs such as thyme and parsely
1.5 lb ground turkey meat
1 C panko/breadcrumbs
1/2 C grated parmesan
1/2 C ketchup + 1/4 C ketchup
1/4 C + 2TBS balsamic vinegar

1. Preheat oven to 425. Heat oil in large pan and add chopped peppers. Sautee for 7-8 minutes, until tender. Add red pepper flakes and garlic. Sautee another 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside to cool.

2. Whisk egg and herbs in bowl. Add turkey, panko, cheese, 1/2 C ketchup, 2 TBS vinegar and vegetable mix. Mix well (with your hands, if you're brave!)

3. Gently press the mixture into a 9x5 loaf pan. Whisk the remaining 1/4 C ketchup, 1/4 C balsamic and a sprinkle more of red pepper flakes. Brush this mixture over the meatloaf. Bake for 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

First, the delicious glaze:


The (very colorful) finished product:

Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread

I adore Fall. If you asked me to name 100 things that I love about Fall, I could definitely do it - some of the things topping my list are....pulling out the sweaters + boots, drinking hot cocoa in my favorite pair of sweatpants, the leaves turning a vibrant orange, chilly winds that clear my mind after a stressful day at work, jumping onto crunchy leaves on the sidewalk, corn mazes, getting ready for holidays, and - without a doubt - anything pumpkin!!!

I've made this pumpkin bread recipe two years in a row. I wouldn't say that its "to die for" and I won't stop at this recipe with the belief that there's nothing better out there (my creamy tomato soup, now, that's another story - no more searching is needed!) That said, how can pumpkin bread NOT be good? With that awesome cinnamon-y, pumpkin-y, nutmeg-y, clove-y flavor, it's a Fall recipe through and through. Like so many other quick bread recipes, this one makes two good-sized loaves and freezes well. Enjoy, and HAPPY FALL!!!

Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread

1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin
4 eggs
1/2 C vegetable oil
1/2 C unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 C water
2.5 C white sugar
3.5 C all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1.5 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground ginger

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour 2 loaf pans.
2. In medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger.
3. In separate large bowl, mix pumpkin, eggs, vegetable oil, applesauce, vanilla, water and sugar.
4. Stir the dry ingredients into the moist ingredients and mix just until blended. Do not overmix.
5. Pour batter into prepared pans and bake for 50 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Maple Salmon

Generally I do my weekly grocery shopping at Wal-Mart - unless I need to get something from the meat counter or fresh seafood. A few weeks ago, while looking in the frozen fish section at Wal-Mart, I found a package of frozen Wild Alaskan salmon, on sale for $4 (for 4 small filets.) I thought this price was very reasonable and later that night, baked the salmon with salt, pepper and lemon juice. I was so surprised - it was excellent!! I grabbed my second bag of this salmon today while shopping, and found a recipe on Allrecipes for maple salmon.

This salmon is great because the glaze is sweet and salty at the same time. I was worried about the fact that I wasn't using real maple syrup (real maple syrup runs about $6-$8 per bottle - no thanks!) but as it turns out, this didn't matter...the sweet maple flavor was delicious. This is also a dish you can feel good about eating - it is jam-packed with Omega 3 oils. Salmon has more omega 3 oils per ounce than any other "common seafood," with the exception of herring. And with the many health benefits of Omega 3's (heart/joint/brain health), how could you not feel good about eating this yummy dish for dinner?!

Maple Salmon

1/4 C maple syrup
2 TBS soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp garlic salt
pinch of ground black pepper
1 lb fresh or frozen (thawed) salmon filets

In shallow dish, whisk syrup, soy sauce, garlic, garlic salt and pepper. Place salmon in dish. Marinate in fridge for 30 minutes, turning once.

Heat oven to 350. Bake salmon 15-20 minutes, until flakes easily with a fork.

(I served with a baked potato and roasted zuchinni/squash. The zucchini/squash works perfectly because it bakes in the same amount of time/temperature as the salmon.)

Creamy Chicken Enchildas

This recipe sticks out in my mind for one reason in particular. Last year, I was invited to a bridal shower for one of my college friends named Morgan. The shower was themed around kitchen items and recipes, so each guest was asked to fill out a recipe card with one of their favorite recipes. Now, you have to understand that to ask ME to choose a favorite recipe - well, its not possible. So I had to think beyond my favorite. I had to think, "what is something fairly easy and quick to prepare? Something full of flavor, filling and with readily available ingredients? Something a new bride can make her new husband to put a big smile on his face? A recipe to save for the long run and possibly make for kids down the road?" The answer....these creamy chicken enchiladas. I'm not sure if Morgan has made this recipe yet but I need to ask her the next time I see her!

In some ways, the word "enchilada" is misleading for this recipe. "Enchilada" implies a spicy red sauce, right? Well, this dish has no red sauce - instead, its a creamy sauce that reminds me of the sour cream chicken burrito at On the Border. Whatever name you want to give it, you just have to try it - its amazing!

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

1 TBS butter

1/2 C chopped green onions

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 4-oz can chopped green chiles

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1/2 C sour cream

3 chicken breasts, cooked* and diced

1.5 C shredded cheddar cheese

4 large flour tortillas

1/4 C milk

cayenne, salt, pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray small casserole pan with PAM.

2. In small saucepan, sautee green onion in butter. In medium bowl, mix green onion, garlic powder, green chiles, mushroom soup and sour cream. Add a pinch of salt, pepper and cayenne.

3. In separate medium bowl, take 1/4 of the creamy mixture and add diced chicken. Mix well.

4. In each flour tortilla, sprinkle 1/4 C cheese in the middle. Top with chicken mixture. Roll up and put into the prepared pan.

5. Mix 1/4 C milk into the remaining creamy mixture. Pour this over the flour tortillas. Top with remaining 1/2 C cheese.

6. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

*I find the easiest method for this recipe is to trim the fat off of the raw chicken and boil in boiling water for 10-12 minutes, until no longer pink inside

Zucchini Bread

(Side note - I just realized that my last four posts have featured either pesto or zucchini...jeez, I need to mix it up!! I will next time, promise!)

Now onto that zucchini bread....

I really wish the pictures below of my faaaaaavorite zucchini bread would do this recipe justice. This bread is everything a good bread should be - incredibly moist, super easy to bake, relatively healthy (it has three zucchinis in it!!) and it bakes two good-sized loaves, so you can freeze one for later. It keeps well in the fridge, and goes perfectly either as a late night snack, or for breakfast at work. Do the pictures below tell us all those good things? No way! Suffice it to say, you should definitely try this recipe out.

A few words about the ingredients. You can make this bread with or without walnuts, depending on your preference. Also, the original recipe calls for 1 cup vegetable oil; please, please please use my suggestion below, and do 1/2 C vegetable oil and 1/2 C applesauce. It tastes idential (seriously!) and cuts out half the bad fat. Some cooks swear by applesauce in their breads...maybe I am becoming one of them!

Finally, its important to note that for the lightest, fluffiest cakes, breads and muffins...do not overmix your batter!!! I don't claim to be an expert, but everything I read and hear says that as SOON as your batter is somewhat combined (in terms of wet + dry ingredients,) STOP mixing! The more you mix, the more stiff the batter becomes, and the bread's texture will suffer.

Perfect for fall, and truly one of the most yummy breads around, I now present this amazing Zucchini Bread!

Zucchini Bread

3 C all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3 tsp ground cinnamon
3 large eggs
1/2 C vegetable oil
1/2 C unsweetened applesauce
1 C white sugar
1 C packed brown sugar
3 tsp vanilla extract*
3-4 C grated zucchini (= 3 medium zucchinis)
1 C chopped walnuts (more/less/none)

*I use Neilson-Massey Madagascar Bourbon vanilla from Williams-Sonoma...Brett's mom bought it for me awhile ago and I will never go back!

1. Grease and flour two 8x4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325.
2. Sift flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon together in bowl.
3. In separate bowl, beat eggs, oil, applesauce, vanilla, brown sugar and white sugar together. Add dry sifted ingredients (one cup at a time) to the wet mixture. Mix until combined (I used an electric mixer.) Fold in zucchini and walnuts with a spatula. Pour batter into prepared pans.
4. Bake for approx. 55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan before slicing.