CEiMB: Chicken Cacciatore

This week's Craving Ellie in My Belly recipe is the Chicken Cacciatore, hosted by Peggy over at Pantry Revisited.   (Incidentally, over at Food Network, this recipe has a five star rating).  I have never made, nor eaten this dish.  Why?  Well, I don't like eating peppers, onions or mushrooms, three of the main components of this dish.  Really.  I don't like them.  I haven't liked the texture when I have tried them before, I love the smell, but haven't loved eating them.  You already knew I was weird, right?

Well... it pains me to admit this, but I may have to start saying, "I didn't like them."  This dish was really, really good.  I did make a few changes, but nothing I felt was too drastic.  In the original recipe, it calls for skinless chicken breasts, on the bone.  With the economy the way it is, and the fact that we don't buy chicken on the bone, I decided to make a few little changes.

First off, I used a whole chicken that I cut into four pieces - two breast and wing sections and two thigh and leg sections.  This probably detracts from the healthy factor a bit, but since the 3 lb. chicken I bought cost me just barely above $3, I am fine with that.   I also didn't bother to remove the skin, because I knew that none of us were going to eat it anyway.  I chose to let it cook in with everything and help with the flavor a bit.

I also used some sweet baby bell peppers I had on hand - red, orange and gold, instead of just one large red bell pepper, and actually almost doubled the amount of peppers.  I didn't make any change to the amount of onion, but I did use cremini mushrooms instead of white mushrooms.  I just like those, when I am trying to get myself to eat mushrooms that is, better than plain white mushrooms.

I will admit that I added about 1 Tablespoon of butter to the vegetable mixture when I put the mushrooms in, but the way I see it, 1 Tablespoon, amongst several people, isn't too mush to worry about.  The only other change I made was to use chicken stock instead of dry white wine in the mixture.  I don't drink, and therefore never have wines or other liquors on hand to use and don't often go to recipes that would use it anyway, so this seemed like a good substitution to me.  I don't know what it would have tasted like with the white wine, but with the broth it was really fantastic.

I served the chicken on a bed of whole wheat egg noodles with all the good juice and sauce from cooking the chicken.  Yes, me, whole wheat noodles - go figure - I actually added something healthy instead of taking it away!  I am happy to say that I will definitely be making this again. It was fairly easy to make and tasted delicious.  It was a great meal for a cold winter night.

Don't forget to check out the blogroll to see how everyone else's chicken turned out!  (You can find the original recipe here - my changes are shown below). 

Chicken Cacciatore

Adapted from The Foods You Crave, by Ellie Krieger

4 skinless chicken breast halves on the bone, about 2 pounds (or 1 whole small chicken, cut into quarters)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper 
2 teaspoons olive oil 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
1 medium onion, thinly sliced 
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced (or 10 small baby bell peppers, thinly sliced)
1/2 pound cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced 
2 garlic cloves, minced 
1/2 organic, low sodium chicken stock
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can whole tomatoes in juice, chopped and juice reserved 
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes or more to taste

Rinse the chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. 
Heat the oil in a saute pan over moderately-high heat. Brown the chicken on both sides, about 8 minutes. Remove the chicken.Reduce the heat to moderate. Add the onion and pepper, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms begin to brown. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the stock and cook until reduced by half. Add the tomatoes and juice, oregano, red pepper flakes and 1/4 teaspoon of salt and simmer the mixture covered for 10 minutes.

Return the chicken to the pan and simmer, covered, until the chicken is just done, about 20 minutes longer.

CEiMB: Beef Tenderloin with Rosemary and Chocolate

Well, this week I am finally back on track with the  Craving Ellie in My Belly crew.  The holiday season was exceptionally crazy this year and I'm sad to admit that, though I did cook, I never got pictures of any of it.  I am trying to do better.  My apologies to my fellow CEiMBer's on my lack of participation in December.  I am going to try to do better this month.

In the spirit of doing better, I did make the Beef Tenderloin with Rosemary and Chocolate, hosted this week by Beckett Bakes It.  This one of the recipes I had immediately bookmarked as soon as I got my copy of The Food You Crave.  I love beef tenderloin and was intrigued by making this sauce.  

The only changes I made to the recipe (linked above) were to omit the dry red wine (we just don't have it).  I just substituted extra beef broth.  I also didn't use a whole beef tenderloin roast.  I had some beef tenderloin 'steaks' in the freezer.  I've mentioned it before, but we are very lucky to get all of our beef from my in-laws who have a small farm in Northern Idaho. Otherwise, this could get to be a rather expensive dinner to make.  Ellie does mention in the book though that any cut of beef will do nicely with this sauce, so I imagine you could use this with whatever you have on hand.  So, how was the tenderloin?  Yum.  Need I say more?  Well, ok, I will.  But just to say that, really, a bit of oil, salt and pepper is all a good cut of beef needs.

Making the sauce itself was really fun.  I like building sauces because of the process of building flavor, layer by layer.  The taste itself was wonderful and I will definitely make it again.  Think about your favorite steak sauce... now imagine the feeling of accomplishment when you make one yourself that tastes far better than anything store bought.  The tastes are all more well melded together and it is a rather mellow and satisfying kind of sauce.  I imagine you could turn up the heat quite easily if that was more your style too though.

Make sure to check out all the other beefy goodness from the rest of the CEiMB crew at the blogroll.

CEiMB: Macaroni and Four Cheeses

Well, here I am, barely under the wire, and getting my post up for this week's Craving Ellie in My Belly recipe, the Macaroni and Four Cheeses, as chosen by Beth at Supplicious.

Our Thanksgiving was good and busy, but has been the past few days after, with all of us now getting the flu, that has put me so far behind.

So, this is going to be sweet and short and my apologies that I don't have anything really intelligent to say. At this point, I'm hoping for coherent. When the fog lifts I hope to be back with a bit more personality.

In the meantime, I made this dish for dinner tonight and thought that it went together very easily. I blame the crack and cheese I usually make for not loving this dish more. The husband really liked it and didn't mind the difference. I really didn't mind the squash in it, and since here in Utah there was no such thing as pureed and frozen winter squash to be found in any of the grocery stores, I cut and roasted a butternut squash and used that. For my cheeses I used an Irish White Cheddar and some good Monterey Jack, plus the ricotta and parmesan.

So, will I make this again? Probably not. I actually really like butternut squash (yes, big surprise!) and would have rather just had it on the side with some regular mac and cheese. Anyway, I am glad I made it and tried it since I had this one bookmarked. If mac and cheese were something we ate more regularly around our house then I would probably try to make it this healthier version. Since we only eat it every once in a while, then I will probably keep it as an indulgence.

CEiMB: Baby Portobello Lasagna Rollups

Portobello Lasagna Rollups, hosted byMarthe of Culinary Delights was the choice for the Craving Ellie in My Belly crew this week. I felt a little like I got lucky because this was the other main recipe I was debating on with last week's turkey roulade. I ended up choosing the turkey roulade, and then, lookey there, Marthe chose the lasagna rollups! So big thanks to Marthe for choosing this one so I didn't have to wait!

Let me preface this entire post with saying that I have never liked mushrooms. My husband, he is a big fan, me not so much. That said, I have learned to like (a little) cremini mushrooms, which are what grow up to be portobellos anyway, so I used the package of cremini's I had in the fridge. I ended up with a little less mushroom than the recipe calls for, but I was proud of myself for not throwing some hamburger into the mix anyway. Granted, next time I make this, odds are good I will do a hamburger version, but at least I gave it a try.

This was pretty easy and fun to make and looked really pretty. Not surprisingly, the husband liked it more than me, but I still thought it was really good. I just still wanted more cheese/sauce and probably some meat. Since it made more than my husband and I could eat, I chose to deliver dinner to my lovely neighbors across the street who are always kind enough to let Aidan go and play (and play and play) at their house with their little boy. Aidan just loves it and it gives me a nice break! So, since Aidan was there playing again we took them a pan of the lasagna rollups and some focaccia.

The focaccia is a recipe I had bookmarked from the King Arthur Flour website a while back but never got around to making it. When darling Melanie made it a while ago, and gave it a glowing review, I knew I would be making it soon. Melanie has so many amazing recipes, especially fantastic dinner ideas, on her blog that whenever I am trying to come up with something I know will be good, I just go there first. I have made at least 7 or 8 meals from her blog and, sorry to tell you, they don't get their picture taken because I scarf them too fast. I am trying to do better about that. Just know that her recipes are fantastic and you should try them all.

While I am pretty obsessive about my baking being from scratch, I do take some shortcuts with cooking. Probably one of the main examples of this for me is pasta sauce. I know I could make my own, but the fact of the matter is that, other than at my favorite restaurant in Salt Lake to get spaghetti at, I haven't been able to make a version that either tastes better, or costs me less money, than just using the bottled stuff. I am, however, very particular about what I like. There is actually only one brand of the store-bought stuff that I have ever liked, and that is Prego. I have tried several other brands, but I just don't like the flavor or texture.

So, why am I telling you this? Well, because recently I received an email from some nice folks that work with Prego that offered to send me some samples of some of their products. So, of course I said yes! Aside from that lovely garlic and parsley blend they sent me (which I am now hooked on and can't wait to see what other varieties they have) they sent me a jar of their Fresh Mushroom Italian Sauce (and a couple of other items that I will be using soon). I decided that this week's Craving Ellie in My Belly pick would be the perfect time to use that jar of sauce, since even Ellie suggests in the recipe that you can use her sauce or store bought.

For me, it is one of those things where, since I haven't gotten results that are better than the affordability and quality, not to mention the ease, of cracking open that bottle, the choice was a no brainer for me. Maybe someday, when I have time, patience and money/room to grow the garden I want, that will change. In the meantime, I am glad that I have options! The reason I didn't just make Ellie's recipe for the Easy Tomato Sauce (which you can find here) is because I really don't like chunky sauce - at all. So, while the Prego sauces have chunky options, the sauces I buy have some chunks, but not a ton, which is perfect for us.

I included some tips in my adapted version of the recipe below to tell you how I easily and cleanly like to make lasagna - it has to do with spreading the ricotta mixture, which is always the biggest mess and pain in my humble opinion. Don't forget to check out the new Craving Ellie in My Belly blog to see how the others did with their lasagna rolling experiences!

Baby Portobello Lasagna Rollups
Adapted from Ellie Krieger via Food Network and The Foods You Crave

12 whole-wheat lasagna noodles (about 3/4 pound) (I used organic, regular since I couldn't find whole-wheat)
2 teaspoons olive oil
12 ounces portobello mushrooms, chopped (I used about 8 oz of cremini mushrooms instead, which are just baby portobellos)
1/2 teaspoon salt (I used gray sea salt)
4 cups of marinara sauce
1 (15-ounce) container part-skim ricotta cheese
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 egg, lightly beaten
Freshly ground black pepper
Pinch ground nutmeg (I only use freshly ground nutmeg - it is worth it)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
3 ounces grated part-skim mozzarella cheese (about 2/3 cup)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cook the noodles al dente according to the directions on the package. Drain them well and spread them out onto aluminum foil or waxed paper to prevent them from sticking.

Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and all the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Season with 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of the tomato sauce and simmer for 2 minutes. In a medium bowl combine the ricotta cheese, spinach, egg, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, a few turns of pepper, and nutmeg.

Spread 1 cup of tomato sauce on the bottom of a 9 by 12-inch baking dish. Spread about 2 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture onto a lasagna noodle (I dump the mixture into a zip-top bag and snip off a corner, then pipe the desired amount easily and cleanly on top of each noodle, then just spread a bit with the back of a spoon). Top with about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the mushroom mixture, roll the noodle and place it into the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining noodles. Spread the remaining 1 1/2 cups of sauce over the lasagna rolls. Top with grated cheeses, cover loosely with foil, and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 minutes more.
Yield: 6 servings

Blitz Bread - Easy Focaccia
Adapted from the King Arthur Flour Website via Melanie at My Kitchen Cafe

1 1/2 cups warm water
3 tablespoons olive oil (plus additional for drizzling)
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 1/2 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 tablespoon instant yeast
3 teaspoons granulated garlic with parsley, optional
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese, optional
Tuscan Herb Mill Blend, optional

Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan, and drizzle 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil in the bottom. Combine all of the ingredients (except the shredded cheese and herb blend if using) and beat at high speed with an electric mixer for 60 seconds (add the cheese at this point until mixed in, if using).

Scoop the sticky batter into the prepared pan and stretch to the edges as best you can. Cover the pan, and let it rise at room temperature for 60 minutes, till it is puffy. While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 375°F. Gently poke the dough all over with your index finger. Drizzle it lightly with olive oil, and sprinkle with the herb blend, if desired.

Bake the bread till it's golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove it from the oven, wait 5 minutes, then turn it out of the pan onto a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

CEiMB: Turkey Roulade with Apple-Cider Gravy

Well, well, well. This week guess who got to choose the recipe for Craving Ellie in My Belly? ME! I chose the Turkey Roulade with Apple-Cider Gravy.

This recipe, along with a couple others will even air on Food Network later this month.

I have several recipes flagged, but I decided on this one because 1) it is November, and though everyone will get their fill of turkey at the end of the month, I thought this might be a good starter for the month and could make a really great lighter Thanksgiving and 2) I just love turkey!

This is my favorite recipe from the book so far. The turkey is tender and the stuffing was flavorful and delicious. This turkey roulade is served with an apple cider 'gravy' too that really helps take it from just a good recipe to a really great recipe.

The bread I used for the stuffing was the most multi-grain-ish bread I could find, one called 'health-nut' which I think also added to the great flavor and texture. While this recipe is somewhat involved I didn't think it was overwhelming so.

I took one shortcut that I think, while probably not as healthy, helped save me some time and added to the flavor of the stuffing. Instead of chopping and caramelizing the onion for the stuffing base I just used a package of onion soup mix. I also left out the dried cranberries and made a fresh cranberry relish I've had bookmarked for a while, with a few changes, to serve on the side.

I also had some baby red potatoes left from my parents' last trip to the farmers' market and roasted those along side the turkey. Everything was done right around the same time and it was all really great! I will definitely make this one again! Make sure to check out how the others in the group and see how they did this week!

Turkey Roulade with Apple-Cider Gravy
1 (2 1/2-pound) skinless turkey breast, butterflied
1/2 cup dried cranberries (I left these out of mine)
2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
1/2 large onion, diced (about 1 1/2 cups), plus 1 cup sliced onion (I used one package of onion soup mix combined with about 2/3 cup of water, plus 1/2 cup sliced onion)
2 large garlic cloves, minced
5 slices day-old whole-wheat bread, crusts removed, cubed (about 2 1/2 cups) (I left the crusts on and used a multi-grain bread with sunflower seeds in it)
1/3 cup lightly toasted chopped pecans (I used about 1/2 cup)
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons fresh crumbled sage or 3 teaspoons dried, divided
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup apple cider
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (I only used about 2 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon cold water (I just reduced the gravy a bit more until it was the thickness I wanted)

Special equipment: kitchen twine (cotton twine / string - I just asked my butcher for about 12 inches worth)

Place the turkey breast between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and pound lightly with a meat mallet to an even thickness of about 3/4-inch. Set aside while stuffing is prepared.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Place the cranberries in a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, cook for 1 minute, then remove from heat, drain and reserve. (I skipped this since I left the cranberries out).

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the diced onions and cook, stirring, until onions are golden but not charred, about 12 to 15 minutes. Add the garlic and cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes. (This is where I just cooked the garlic in the oil, then added the onion soup mixed with the water to the pan). Add bread, cranberries, pecans, 2 tablespoons fresh or 2 teaspoons dried sage and 1/2 to 3/4-cup chicken stock, depending upon consistency of stuffing; (you want the mixture to be moistened, but not too wet, since the turkey will release moisture when cooked). Cook over low heat for about 2 to 3 minutes, remove from heat.

Salt and pepper the inside and outside of the turkey breast. Spread the stuffing on the turkey, leaving about 1 1/2 to 2-inches uncovered on all sides. Roll up and secure tightly with kitchen twine, trying to keep all stuffing intact.

Heat 1 tablespoon of canola oil in a large Dutch oven or medium-sized roasting pan until hot. Sear stuffed turkey breast on all sides until lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Add sliced onion and 1 1/2 cups chicken stock, cover tightly and roast in the oven until turkey reaches 160 degrees F when an instant-read thermometer is inserted into inner layer of meat, about 60 to 65 minutes. Remove the turkey breast from oven and transfer to a cutting board to rest.

Make the gravy:
Add apple cider, 1/2 cup chicken stock, vinegar and remaining sage to the onions, chicken stock and juices in the roasting pan, bring to a boil and cook for approximately 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced by 1/3. Slowly add the cornstarch mixture, stirring constantly, and cook for 3 minutes more. The gravy should not be thick, just slightly thicker than a jus. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Makes 1 1/2 cups gravy.

Remove twine from turkey breast and slice into 1 1/2-inch thick pieces. Serve with gravy.

Roasted Baby Red Potatoes
2 lbs baby red potatoes, washed and cut into quarters
1 Tablespoon butter, melted
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic and parsley seasoning (I used McCormick's California Style blend)

Toss the potatoes with all the other ingredients and place in a shallow baking dish in a single layer. Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees F for 40 minutes. Remove foil and test for tenderness. Allow the potatoes to bake uncovered until the desired tenderness and the potatoes have browned a bit (about 7 minutes).

Cranberry Pear Relish
(Adapted from Food Network)
1 - 12 oz bag fresh cranberries
1 Asian pear, washed and chopped into small pieces
1 tangerine, washed and cut into small wedges, peel and all
1/2 cup light brown sugar
pinch of kosher salt
3 Tablespoons chopped, toasted pecans

Place the tangerine pieces in a food processor and process well. Add the cranberries, pear, brown sugar and salt. Process well until a coarse but small texture. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours and up to two days. Add the pecans just before serving.

CEiMB: Sweet & Sour Brisket

Or in my case Sweet & Sour Corned Brisket. Yes, you heard that right. Sometimes it is difficult to find what we need here with ingredients. Anyway, I was out of time and patience and didn't have time to run to a 'specialty' butcher shop in the next County (as if brisket should be 'specialty' - ugh!). Anyway, I went with it. The butcher said that 'nothing' had been done to the brisket cut, and the spice packet was intact in the package and not open. I was 99.9% sure that he didn't know what he was talking about, but I didn't want to just give up, so I just decided to try it with the partially corned (brined anyway) brisket.

So, now you know why the meat is pink. Which is pretty darn off-putting in my opinion, but what can you do. I have never been a corned beef fan, but as someone recently pointed out to me, sometimes you just have to make due with what you've got. This dish for me was just 'okay'. If I had a brisket, I doubt I would make this again, but who knows. I don't blame the recipe, I blame my cut of meat. To try to make it as close to recognizable as possible I did trim the heck out of the brisket and rinse it really, really good, which I'm sure helped, but who knows.

I had every intention of making some yummy roasted baby red potatoes my parents brought me from the last weekend at our local farmer's market and some glazed carrots... but, we are having a heck of a week here at our house. Let's put it this way. There are four people in our house and I am the only one without strep. Yipee for me. That just means that I get to take care of everyone else who is really sick. So, I was just pretty glad that I ended up making this to begin with. So, you get rice from a bag and some steamed frozen green beans. That's as good as it gets. Hopefully we'll get around to those potatoes soon!

You can check in at What’s for Supper? for this week's recipe. Even though it wasn't my favorite, I'm still glad that she chose it because I had it bookmarked anyway! As always, check out the rest of the Craving Ellie in My Belly crowd, created by Leigh of Lemon Tartlet, for more reviews of this week's recipe from Ellie Krieger's Foods You Crave.

CEiMB: Banana Cream Pie

In Ellie's book, The Food You Crave: Luscious Food for a Healthy Life she describes her Banana Cream Pie as "fragrant vanilla pudding cradled in a graham cracker crumb crust, topped with bananas and real whipped cream..." - now with a description like that, how can you not want to try this?

As our very first dessert selection from the book for our CEiMB group, and an absolute banana pie lover, I couldn't be happier to make this one. My parents were visiting and since my Dad has a real sweet tooth, this was perfect. They both have a lot of dietary issues and it was really nice to be able to offer something that wasn't going to cause problems for them.

It was definitely a different version of this kind of pie than I've made before - translation: I've never made one that verges on being so, well, healthy! No sugar in the crust, very little in the pudding, lots and lots of fruit, well, with a pie like this, yes, we ate it for breakfast - well, my parents and I did anyway. And I didn't even feel guilty about it. The vanilla flavor in the pudding wasn't as prominent as I thought it would be, but it was still good.

The only change I made to the recipe was to make a little extra crust (one full recipe + half a recipe more). With that much fruit I just know that I am going to want a little extra crust. I've adjusted the amounts for the crust below accordingly.

Banana Cream Pie
(Source: The Food You Crave: Luscious Food for a Healthy Life)

For the Crust:
Cooking spray
11 graham cracker sheets
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 Tablespoons water

For the Pudding:
1 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
3 Tablespoons boiling water
1/3 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups low-fat milk (I actually used nonfat)
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Filling:
2 cups 1/4-inch-thick banana slices (3 medium bananas)

For the Topping:
1/4 cup well-chilled heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray.

To make the crust, in a food processor, process the graham crackers until finely ground. Add the butter and water and process until the crumbs clump together. Press the mixture into the bottom of the pie plate and about 1 inch up the sides. Bake for 10 minutes, then let cool.

Meanwhile, make the filling. Put the gelatin in a small bowl; add the boiling water and stir until the gelatin is dissolved. In a medium saucepan, whisk together 1/3 cup of sugar and the flour. In a medium bowl, lightly beat the milk and egg yolks together. Add the egg and milk mixture to the saucepan and whisk so the flour and sugar dissolve. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil and has thickened. Stir in the vanilla and gelatin mixture. Set aside to cool slightly.

Arrange the sliced banana in the crust and pour the pudding on top. Place in the refrigerator until the pudding has set, about 3 hours.

Whip the cream in a medium bowl with an electric mixer. When it is about halfway to soft peaks, add the 1/2 teaspoon sugar, then continue whipping until it barely holds a soft peak. Put the whipped cream in a plastic bag, concentrating it in one corner of the bag. Snip that corner off the bag and squeeze the whipped cream out of the bag in a decorative pattern around the pie. The pie will keep in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days.