Walnut and Pecan-Crusted Chicken Breasts

Remember those chicken cutlets awhile back? They were breaded and delightfully fried in extra-virgin olive oil? And I promised a healthier version to come? This is it.

My, I have grown to love nuts. Almonds, walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts...so nutty (obviously), so rich, and so amazing when toasted. I think it's partly because I know they are good for you. And as you may have noticed by now, I am a sucker for healthy ingredients, healthy alternatives, and healthy food. If a reasonably well-renowned source tells me dirt is good for me, by golly, I will be filling buckets and shoving it down my throat whenever I can. There could be worse weaknesses, right? Don't get me wrong though. I will always love dessert. Always.

Anyways, what I was trying to get at is this: what a neat way to "bread" chicken! Just season boneless, skinless chicken breast halves with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, then coat with frothy egg white, and coat in your crumb mixture (bread crumbs (whole-wheat bread preferred), nuts, parmigiano, and a little more salt and pepper). Cook chicken on one side in grapeseed oil over medium heat and until lightly browned. Then flip chicken and transfer to the oven to bake until golden brown and cooked through. When baking chicken in the oven, I usually take a cooling rack, set it on top of a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper (to catch loose crumbs, etc.), and set the chicken on the cooling rack. It works nicely for an even bake.

This is good. The texture makes it. A little crunch, a little crumb. And the nuts provide a great flavor for your chicken. I'm thinking about trying some other nut combinations sometime as well. Isn't everyone looking for a way to change up the usual mildly seasoned chicken breast...? This is it. Cheers.

Orange-Walnut Olive Oil Cake with Sweet Yogurt

The story: according to Power Foods, olive oil cakes are popular in Italy. They're usually made with orange-flavored liqueurs, but this recipe uses orange juice/zest instead, and it replaces the usual refined granulated sugar with brown sugar. The recipe called for dark brown sugar, which I really wish we'd had on hand, but we didn't so I used golden brown sugar instead. Definitely going to dark brown next time; I think it would give it a richer flavor and color. The cake also has finely ground walnuts in it, and plain Greek-style yogurt (sweetened with a little confectioner's sugar) on the side.

When you taste this cake, you can really pick out the orange. A bit of this is pretty much an explosion of orange and a pronounced fruity flavor, in combination with the occasional crunch of walnut. The yogurt goes perfectly. I never really thought of using yogurt as a replacement for, let's say, whipped cream. That's an idea for you health nuts out there.

Overall, this cake was different, but it really grows on you. It's moist and smooth, aside from the crushed walnuts. It's like a citrusy spice cake. I did add a little cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Just a touch, and I think it worked well. I probably wouldn't serve this to someone who doesn't like to "eat outside of the box," but if you like healthy alternatives and vibrant citrus flavor, then this is the cake for you. ;)

Curry-Rubbed Salmon with Napa Slaw and Brown Rice

Dinner last night (and lunch today): salmon with a fresh veggie slaw and brown rice. I've sufficiently explored the Italian avenue of cooking for the time being. In other words, I'll be avoiding pasta for a little while. I need to push myself beyond repeatedly combining the contents of a couple saute pans into one pot and mixing it together. Don't get me wrong, I've learned a lot by doing so. I've been pushed to use strange vegetables and explore new flavor combinations. But for this next cooking stage in my life, I want to learn about fish and meat. About fresh and nutrient-rich side dishes. Hence, wild salmon and slaw!

Fish is so good for you. And I do not eat it nearly enough. So, I'm pushing myself. And I don't think Zack is arguing. Omego-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, nutrient- and vitamin-rich...all the things you don't really know that much about, but always hear that you need more of. Plus, have you seen the color of salmon? So vibrant. And I'm holding to something my dad says: you know it's good for you if it's vibrant and bright in color. And such is salmon. We didn't do too much to this fish. Just curry-rubbed it and placed it in the broiler about 4 inches from the heat source. Golden with a crisp finish. The curry was an excellent idea. What great flavor. What a great spice. If you like Indian influences, they you'll like this. It was a nice way to try something other than the usual lemon-marinated salmon (although, that is good also).

Oh, and the slaw! I always thought slaw had to be heavily doused in mayonnaise. But no. There's lime juice and grapeseed oil (which is a little expensive, but apparently like the best oil you can use)! And wow. The lime and grapeseed just richen the flavors of the carrots, napa cabbage, red bell pepper, and cilantro. Give it time to marinate too. It was even better the next day. So fresh with great crunch. If you're tired of salad, this could be a great side to a lot of things.

Not too bad of a start for my new direction. And I even have an orange-walnut olive oil cake to be showing up here soon. Get ready. More to come!

Chocolate Espresso Cookies

Okay, I know. What's with all the muffins and cookies, lately, Abby? Believe me. Some meals of sustenance are in the future. Until then, passing an oh-so-hard dental hygiene board exam calls for celebration (a.k.a. cookies), right?

These will knock your socks off. My mom has a "chocolate crinkle cookie" (well, that's what we call them) recipe very similar to this one. Man, sometimes I just long for those cookies. Which makes me realize now that I should probably just ask her for the recipe. These chocolate cookies, however, have the addition of instant espresso coffee granules. It adds a little kick. Maybe the kick that knocks your socks off (ha ha). Anyways, if you've never had crinkle cookies, you got to get some somewhere. Somehow. Ugh. They're so amazing. As you bite into them, they just sort of crack in a crinkly sort of way and then the melting begins. You taste the confectioner's sugar, then it disappears ever so softly. And before you know it, the chocolate just hits you. And the espresso. It's so rich. It's so delicious. It makes an impression. An I-need-you-for-the-rest-of-my-life impression. Find one. Somewhere. And if you can't, I'm going to make boat loads of these during Christmas time (and probably before then), so do ask. By the way, if anyone ever wants one of these recipes, just comment on my post; I'm happy to share. Sharing is caring. And I care about you because you're reading my blog. Thanks for doing so. Cheers.

Banana-Oat Muffins

Yes. It's been a little while. I guess life goes on outside of keeping up this blog. There were a few nights of not too much cooking, and then I'm a little behind on my posts, but don't worry...we'll be on track in no time. Some good recipes coming your way!

First off, something simple. Banana-oat muffins. With a few little oats sprinkled on top, along with some brown sugar, these muffins make for some nice presentation. I've made quite a few sort of healthy muffins and breads in the last few months, but the one thing I'm sure of is they sort of taste the same. I'm on the hunt. The hunt for a delicious, but healthy, muffin. These, like the carrot-zucchini muffins I posted last, are good (don't get me wrong) but they don't have a lot of "wow" factor. However, if you just want something semi-sweet yet semi-healthy to munch on, such muffins are a great option!

You could really taste the banana in these. And I am so pro-banana. Put bananas on anything and it's delicious. You name it: pancakes or french toast, yogurt, cereal, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, anything chocolate....okay, this list consists of mostly breakfast items, but still, they're so good. And such an amazing flavor. What is it about bananas?

One last note about baking muffins that contain fruit/vegetables. For goodness sake, just spray the paper liners with cooking spray. Just do it. Otherwise, you will be gnawing half of your muffin off the paper liner. But don't over-do it! If you soak the liners with muffin spray, the liners will not even be attached to your muffins when they come out of the oven. In such times, there was apparently no point in you even using them in the first place (as can be seen in the picture of my carrot-zucchini muffins). Maybe I'm the only one. But I have found that spraying muffin liners and the extent to which you do so, is a very fine line. So maybe this will help someone out. Although, it has been a great source of laughter for Zack and I, so maybe it's okay to mess up sometimes. :)

Healthy Carrot-Zucchini Muffins

If you have carrots in the refrigerator that are turning a little soft on you, no worries. Apparently, they are all the more better for baking that way. So what do I do? A little internet surfing with "carrot muffins" as my key searching terms. When I stumbled upon "carrot zucchini," well, that was even better because we got zucchini in our fruit/vegetable box this last week. And healthy was key. All in all, this recipe met more criteria than I could have asked for. I love healthy muffins. In addition to that, I love a good healthy muffin recipe.

What makes it a healthier alternative to your usual muffin? Well, for one, it has vegetables. Wonderful. Second of all, it uses primarily whole wheat flour. I usually try to throw in a little whenever I bake, but I have definitely learned that some recipes can only tolerate a very small amount. It can be a little gritty, but that's okay in a muffin with vegetables. Also, this recipe uses canola oil and applesauce instead of vegetable oil. Quite a few baking recipes call for vegetable oil, but canola is a perfect substitute and a much healthier one. The applesauce has a similar consistency, so it can often be used to replace a portion of oil required in a recipe. Lastly, there's no white sugar in this recipe; just brown. And the cinnamon and ground nutmeg give it a nice spice. Oh, and I chopped some almonds and put a little brown sugar on top before baking. It adds the most delightful crunch.

A pretty healthy sweet treat if I do say so myself. I mean, who doesn't like a healthier version for dessert or for a mid-day snack? Okay, maybe that's just me, but come on...you are what you eat, right? I do love real dessert though. Like not-so-good-for-you dessert. Like donuts. And cake. But, you shouldn't really have that all the time. In that case, this healthy muffin is the perfect choice. Plus, it's darn tasty.

Chili with Chicken and Beans (Plus, Cheddar Cornbread)

You're going to wonder why I'm beginning this post by talking about peppers, but I promise it will all make sense in the end! When looking over our order contents for our fruit/vegetable box this week, I saw "mixed sweet peppers." Apparently, I don't know my peppers. I thought I was going to be getting an assortment of little red, orange, yellow, and green peppers, but instead we get a bag of small dark green peppers that are more spicy than sweet. I even searched for a "pepper guide" online and I still don't know what they are.

So, I was trying to figure out what I was going to do with this bag of mystery peppers. Since they were a little spicy, Zack suggested using them as a substitute for jalapenos. Thus, I found an Ina Garten jalapeno cheddar cornbread recipe. Let me tell you, I never would have made a jalapeno cornbread recipe if it wasn't for those weird peppers, but it was definitely worth it. This cornbread is more like a dessert in that it has a good amount of all-purpose flour and unsalted butter; however, it is the perfect side for chili. Extra-sharp cheddar, chopped scallions, and minced peppers make it different from your ordinary cornbread. I basically had a bite of cornbread with every bite of chili, and it was amazing.

The chili with chicken and beans is from my Power Foods cookbook. I've been wanting to make this recipe for awhile because the picture in the book is so enticing. This chili is so chunky and delicious. That's the way I like my chili.

Heat olive oil and cumin over medium in a heavy-bottomed pot. Add onion, garlic, and pepper until soft and lightly golden. This recipe actually calls for bell pepper, but I just wanted to use up as many of my "mystery" peppers as I could. So I did. Push onion mixture to edges of pot, add more olive oil, increase heat, and add chicken. A second substitution: the recipe called for chicken breast halves cut into 1-inch pieces, but Zack and I thought ground chicken sounded good for chili, so that's what we used. Transfer chicken to a plate after cooked through, then add chili powder, dried oregano, and bay leaf. Then add chopped canned tomatoes and their juice. Bring to a simmer then add chicken stock, salt, kidney beans, and season with fresh cracked black pepper. Bring to a simmer again and cook, uncovered, for about 45 minutes. Return chicken and cook for another 15 minutes. Top with cilantro leaves for garnish (you know, it's fancier that way).


Now this meal was a "labor of love," as my mom would say. If you're looking for fast, this is not the recipe for you. It probably took a couple hours to prepare. And lots of chopping involved, which Zack kindly helped me with. That being said, it was so hearty and tasty. So worth it. We'll be having the chili and cornbread again tonight, and I plan to freeze the last two servings for another day. Just about three hours until Zack is home, and then I get to delve into another bowl of this goodness. Hooray for cooking and eating.

Chicken-Zucchini Alfredo

Tuesday night's dinner: chicken-zucchini alfredo. This is a Food Network Magazine recipe. It's supposed to be a healthier version of the classic alfredo dish, incorporating whole wheat fettuccine and and sauce made with low-fat milk, a tiny bit of flour, evaporated nonfat milk, and freshly grated parmigiano reggiano. Toss the pasta in this sauce with zucchini and chicken sauteed in extra-virgin olive oil with minced garlic.

It seems to me that alfredo is usually heavy and rich. This alternative recipe is lighter, but doesn't lack in flavor by any means. Plus, the whole wheat pasta just gives it a little something that you wouldn't get with regular pasta. It has a little bite.

If you're looking for something fast and simple, but still rich in flavor, this is a great dish. Cheers.