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Quick Picks: 10 Minute Broccolini, Greens, and Beans

10 May

One of my favorite mainstay dishes is greens and beans. It’s perfect for a snack, meal, or side dish any time of day. In the morning, I eat it with a couple of scrambled eggs and feel ready to take on the day. To make this variation even more filling, I’ve added some broccolini for texture and flavor. The best part is that this delicious and versatile dish comes together in one saute pan in about 10 minutes, Let’s go for it!

I’ve included the type of greens and beans that I use most often when making this, but most varieties will work well here, so use what you have on hand.

Broccolini, Greens, and Beans

  • 10 oz. greens (I used baby spinach, kale, and chard)
  • 1 bunch broccolini, chopped
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
  • One 15.5 oz. can white beans (I used pinto beans), drained and rinsed
  • ¼ cup unsalted chicken stock or water
  • ½ tsp. kosher salt
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil

Begin by sautéing the onion in the olive oil for 3-4 minutes or until fragrant and slightly softened.

Add the broccolini, salt, and garlic, and saute for 3-4 minutes more.

Pour in the stock or water and cook until it evaporates, about 2-3 minutes.

Add the beans to the pan and stir well.

Add the greens and cook, stirring, just until wilted and well incorporated. Taste for seasoning and add salt as needed.

Serve hot, room temperature, or even cold.

It makes really delicious leftovers too, especially once the greens and beans soak in those aromatics.

I hope you enjoy making this fast, healthy, delicious treat for any meal of the day! This time of year, farmers markets are opening and teeming with greens, so don’t be afraid to try something new. Enjoy!

Ciao for now,

Neen

Variation on a Theme: Enchilada-Style Shredded Chicken

9 May

Guess who started a new job last month? Meeeee. I’m working as a pharmacy technician now, which means that I’m on my feet for 8 or so hours a day several days a week. It’s challenging work with a HUGE learning curve, but I’m slowly finding my way and learning to serve customers well. It’s very rewarding to help people stay well in this new way. I still miss teaching a lot, but am hoping (fingers crossed) to get back to that this summer now that I’m really starting to feel healthy again.

When last we met, I introduced you to one of my meal preps, pressure cooker shredded chicken. While it is filling and delicious, I like to make variations of it to keep my meals interesting and fulfilling. I’ve been making a real effort to shift my diet toward more whole foods and that means thinking about preparing things in advance so I don’t reach for a pre-packaged snack. Now more than ever I need foods that are easy to reheat so I have something healthy during my break at work that keeps me going for the rest of my shift. This hearty enchilada-style chicken checks all the boxes. It’s got a great, spice and aromatic-rich tomato sauce and tastes wonderful on its own, over rice, or even rolled up in a tortilla if you prefer.

This recipe uses a pressure cooker. I can do all of the steps in an Instant Pot, but if you don’t have one of those, just saute in your pressure cooker over medium heat for the first few steps.

Enchilada-Style Shredded Chicken

  • 1 ½-2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts or chicken breast tenders
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 jalepeño pepper, minced (seeds removed)
  • 1 white or red onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
  • 2 cups crushed tomatoes
  • 1 cup no salt added chicken stock or low sodium chicken broth
  • 2 tbsp. chili powder
  • 1 tsp. cumin
  • 1 tsp. salt

Using the saute function on an Instant Pot or a pressure cooker over medium heat, cook the onions, jalepeño, and garlic in the olive oil for 3-4 minutes until fragrant and slightly softened.

Add the crushed tomatoes, chicken stock/broth, chili powder, cumin, and salt to the pot and bring to a gentle simmer.

Season the chicken breasts with salt and then add them to the pot and stir.

Seal the pressure cooker and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. After the time has elapsed, use the quick release function or allow the pressure to release naturally.

Remove the chicken from the sauce and shred it. Store the chicken and sauce in separate containers for easy portioning.

I like to put some of the chicken and sauce over steamed brown rice and have that alongside some type of salad. It makes an incredibly filling meal without being heavy. Super energizing, healthy, and (so important) tasty! And it reheats easily—maybe even tastes better the next day.

I’ll be introducing you to more of what I’ve been working on the last month or so very soon. I’m learning a lot about how to eat in a way that fuels my body well and keeps me feeling happy and satisfied, and I’m really looking forward to sharing that with you.

Ciao for now,

Neen

Meal Prep: Shredded Chicken with Tomato, Carrot, Pepper, and Onion Salad  

21 Mar

I think lunch gets overlooked because most of us are busy in the middle of the day. All the more reason that a filling, healthy lunch is so important. You need that mid-day boost to keep your energy up. Preparing my meals in advance is one of the ways I keep myself spending money on buying something quick in the middle of the day. Sunday nights, I make enough food for four lunches, giving me one less task to attend to during the week when I’d rather be focused on other things.

This is another place where the pressure cooker comes in handy. You can have this all done in under an hour using two pots and one bowl. Easy, right?

Pressure Cooker Shredded Chicken

  • 3 ½ – 4 lbs. chicken breasts, cut into strips
  • 1 onion, quartered
  • 2 carrots, cut into quarters or a handful of baby carrots
  • 3 stalks celery, cut into quarters
  • 1 clove garlic, smashed
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3 cups unsalted chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth
  • A few stems of fresh parsley
  • Kosher salt
  • Pepper
  • Dried oregano

Tomato, Carrot, Pepper, and Onion Salad

  • 16 oz. carrots, diced
  • 16 oz. red, yellow, or orange bell pepper, diced
  • 8 oz. grape tomatoes, halved
  • 8 oz. red onion, diced
  • 2 tsp. dried basil
  • 2 tsp. dried oregano
  • 4 tsp. dried parsley
  • 1 tbsp. kosher salt
  • Several grinds of black pepper
  • ½ cup white wine vinegar
  • 6 tbsp. Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp. honey

Brown Rice

  • 2 cups brown rice
  • 4 cups water
  • 2 tsp. kosher salt

First, get the rice started. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil, add the rice, cover the pot, and reduce to a simmer. Simmer the rice, covered, for 25-35 minutes until all of the water is absorbed. Fluff the rice with a fork and then move to a lidded container for storage in the refrigerator.

While the rice is cooking, prepare the chicken. Place the onion, carrot, celery, parsley, and garlic in the pressure cooker.

Season the chicken on both sides with salt, pepper, and oregano.

Add the chicken stock/broth and seal the pressure cooker.

Cook on high pressure for 20 minutes and then release the pressure naturally or using a quick release function.

Remove the chicken to a container, shred using a couple of forks, and then season with more salt if needed. Move to a lidded container and store in the refrigerator. Strain the broth from the pot and save it in another container in the refrigerator.

For the salad, combine all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl and then divide among four containers. Whisk together the white wine vinegar, mustard, and honey. Divide the dressing evenly among the containers of salad, seal, and then shake each container to distribute the dressing.

Usually I take 5-7 oz. of chicken, reheat it gently with some of the leftover chicken broth and eat that over about a cup of the reheated rice with the salad on the side. It’s a really filling, but not heavy meal with lots of different textures. The savory chicken over well-seasoned rice is warm and comforting, and the salad gets better as the week goes on because the dressing really soaks into the veggies.

Taking a little bit of time to prep at the beginning of the week makes my lunches easy, inexpensive, healthy, and delicious; the best of all worlds! I hope this helps you out too.

Ciao for now,

Neen

Happy 35th: My Best Buddy’s Birthday Cake

17 Mar

Super-husband turns 35 this week, so we had friends over for a night of virtual reality gaming and delicious food.

The centerpiece of the evening was the guest of honor’s request, a yellow butter cake with vanilla buttercream. I’m not sure how I’ve never shared this yellow cake recipe on here, because it’s one I make often for birthdays because it’s so, so good. Soft, fluffy, sweet, and everything a celebration cake should be. Here’s how to bake it!

Yellow Butter Cake

  • 3 cups sifted cake flour
  • 3 ½ tsp. baking powder
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • 12 tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 1/3 cups sugar
  • 6 egg yolks
  • 1 cup whole or reduced-fat milk
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of two 9 in. round cake pans with parchment paper, and then grease and flour the pans.

Whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and set aside

In the bowl of a stand mixer or using a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.

Add the eggs in two batches, beating well between additions and scraping down the bowl as needed.

With the mixer on low, add 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by half of the milk, then 1/3 of the flour mixture, the other half of the milk, and finally the last 1/3 of the flour mixture, mixing well between additions and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. In this instance, it was 500 grams of batter per pan.

Bake the cakes for about 25 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Cool the cakes in the pans for 10 minutes, and then invert onto a wire rack. Re-invert the cakes to prevent cracking and cool completely.

The recipe for the vanilla buttercream can be found here in the Ribbon Cake recipe.

To frost, place one cake on a plate and frost the top with a thin layer of the buttercream (about ¾ cup).

Add the second layer and frost the top and sides evenly.

Color the remaining buttercream with food coloring for decoration if you wish, and pipe whatever designs your heart desires.

Of course, sing happy birthday and share with friends for maximum enjoyment.

Happy Birthday Joe! You’re the best.

Ciao for now,

Neen

 

 

Easy Eats: Instant Pot / Pressure Cooker Turkey Chili

27 Feb

When I’m short on time, I often turn to my pressure cooker for quick, big batch meals. It’s an easy way to throw a few simple ingredients together and make something filling and delicious without a lot of prep or clean-up.  As an added bonus, it can turn out some really healthy meals too, and today’s recipe ticks all the boxes. (For those readers on Weight Watchers, this is a freebie zero-point recipe!)

If you don’t have a pressure cooker, this can also be modified into a regular slow-cooker recipe. Just follow the steps, and saute the ingredients in a separate pan, add the ingredients to the slow-cooker and then cook on low for 5-6 hours instead of pressure cooking. It’s not as fast, but it’s still delicious.

Pressure Cooker Turkey Chili

  • 1 lb. ground turkey breast or ground turkey
  • 1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 bell peppers, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp. chili powder
  • 1 ½ tsp. cumin
  • 1 tsp. salt

Spray the pot with spray oil or add a tbsp. of olive oil. Saute the onions and ground turkey for 5-8 minutes, or until the onions begin to turn translucent.

Add the garlic and bell peppers and saute for 2-3 minutes more.

Deglaze the pot with the chicken stock, being sure to scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pot.

Add the cumin, chili powder, salt, crushed tomatoes, and beans and stir well to combine.

Seal the pressure cooker and cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. You can let the pressure release naturally or use the quick release function.

Garnish with fresh parsley or cilantro (which I wish I liked but just tastes like soap to me, alas) and serve.

Definitely a one-pot wonder for sure. This turns out a rich, hearty chili that’s even better the next day. It also freezes really well. Super comforting for the cold, blustery days we’ve been having recently. Hope you have a chance to try it soon!

Ciao for now,

Neen

Seeded Delight: Sesame Semolina Bread

6 Feb

This week, I found myself in the mood for bread with sesame seeds on it. Normally I’d go for a crusty Italian braid studded with them, but this time I thought I’d try something even more sesame-forward and put them in the bread dough itself. This loaf has a wonderful texture as the bread flour adds chewiness and structure, while the semolina flour adds softness, and finally the sesame seeds add a nutty bite to the whole thing. Definitely a treat, and really easy to make as well. All this one takes is a little bit of patience in letting it rise twice.

Sesame Semolina Bread

Dough:

  • 12 ¾ oz. bread flour
  • 5 ¾ oz. semolina flour
  • 1 ¼ oz. nonfat dry milk
  • ¼ cup instant mashed potato flakes OR potato flour
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • 2 tsp. instant yeast
  • 1 ½ cups lukewarm water (110-115 degrees F)
  • 3 tbsp. honey
  • 3 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
  • ½ cup toasted sesame seeds

Topping:

  • 1 egg + 1 tbsp. water
  • Toasted sesame seeds

Combine all of the ingredients for the bread dough and mix well. Knead using a bread hook attachment (4-5 minutes) or by hand (8 minutes) until you have a dough that is smooth and elastic.

Grease a bowl or container and put the dough in it, tossing to coat with oil. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm area until it has doubled in bulk, 60-90 minutes.

Grease a 3-4 qt. dutch oven and dust the bottom with semolina flour.

Punch down the dough and shape into a ball (boule), and then place that in the dutch oven. Put the lid on the dutch oven and allow the dough to rise until puffy, about 1 hour.

Near the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Brush the risen loaf with the egg white mixture and then generously sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Put the lid back on the dutch oven and bake the loaf for 25-27 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for 7-10 minutes more, until deep golden brown. The internal temperature should measure at least 190 degrees F.

Gently tip the loaf out onto a cooling rack and cool completely before slicing.

This bread has a crisp exterior and a beautifully soft crumb. The flavor is lightly nutty from the sesame seeds and is pretty much perfect for toast or grilled cheese. Looking forward to enjoying this over the next few days, and I hope you do too!

Ciao for now,

Neen

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