Tanya's Garlic Tomato Herbed Pasta & Lemon Garlic Herbed Chicken

I started cooking at a young age. My parents motto was that we'd learn how to cook by helping them out. Being cynical, even at a young age, I thought it was just a ploy for them to employ free child labor. JK. Kinda. ;o) BUT, of course, they were right. I learned how to cook from my parents and grandparents and anyone else we helped out in the kitchen.


In high school, I came up with this pasta dish. The original recipe was all butter (mainly because Mom didn't buy olive oil at that point)...and now has morphed into a more health-conscious dish that is all olive oil. In between the metamorphosis, I started using half butter/half olive oil. But, alas, heart healthy extra virgin olive oil is all I use now...which incidentally, helps your body absorb the lycopene from the tomatoes. Scizzore!



The chicken recipe I got is inspired by *gasp* Rachel Ray! This recipe is great since you can vary which flavors you'd like to have for that meal. My constant is the garlic & lemon...of course. BUT, I'll use capers or rosemary for the variants. Any herbs would be yummy with this recipe. I dredge the chicken, giving the final product a nice sauce to use. Use more wine for more sauce.

The best thing about both...SUPER SIMPLE and quick!!! Plus, you can serve both of these dishes together. If not and for some odd reason you have leftovers of the chicken, you can combine the leftovers with plain pasta to create this:

From Tanya Eats

Tan's Garlic Tomato Herbed Pasta

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

6-8 cloves of garlic, minced

Herbs of choice (Italian, Herbs de Provence, Oregano, Rosemary, Basil, etc.)

~2 cups fresh tomatoes, diced

White wine (optional)

Lemon (optional)

Salt & Pepper

Crushed Red Pepper (optional)

Pasta of choice (long pastas work better...I used Barilla Plus pasta for it's yumminess & healthfulness)

Boil salted water for pasta. Unless you're not good at multitasking, then this can wait till after the sauce is simmering.

In a large pan, heat oil, garlic, & herbs over medium heat. Heat until garlic is heated through, but not brown (brown garlic = icky). Turn heat up to high and add tomatoes. Bring to a boil and then turn down heat. Allow to simmer until the tomatoes have disintegrated slightly. Season with salt & pepper. You may want to thin out sauce with white wine OR wait until combined with pasta and add pasta water to desire consistency.

Before tossing with pasta, add a healthy squeeze of lemon, if desired. Slicing lemons and adding to sauce work beautifully as well. Add drained pasta and toss.

Tan's Lemon Garlic Herbed Chicken
Chicken Breasts (I use boneless, skinless)

6-10 cloves garlic, smashed

1 lemon, sliced

3/4 cup white wine (or more if more sauce is desired)

Flour, for dredging

Salt & pepper

McCormick Montreal Chicken Grill Seasoning (optional...I often forget to use it)

Herbs of choice (fresh or dried)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Season chicken breasts with salt & pepper. If using grill seasoning, tone down salt usage as the grill seasoning is salty. Dredge in flour and set aside.

Heat oil up on high in oven-safe frying pan. Add chicken breasts and allow to brown on each side. Add garlic & herbs. Add lemon slices, giving a few a good queeze before adding to pan. Place pan in oven.

Bake about 5 minutes. Add white wine and cook an additional 5 minutes or until chicken is done. Spoon sauce over breasts before serving.

Serve over rice or pasta and ENJOY!

Doctored

Dear Annie's Homegrown,

Thank you so much for allowing me to doctor my kids' Shells & White Cheddar with pureed cauliflower, SmartBalance spread, Mexican cheese blend, extra skim milk, and TJ's organic ABC/123 pasta.

I really appreciate you alleviating the guilt of not making my kids a completely homemade meal.

Sincerely,
Tanya

Backed Up...blogging that is!

It's FINALLY gettin' cold down here in FL. We've got just a few more weeks in this place and then we're packing up and heading to our next duty station...back to good ol' Hampton Roads, VA. After 6 months or so there, we're either stayin' put or packin' up again and heading north to DC!! The latter is more likely, so we'll see how everything pans out.

I'm a bit backlogged on entries. I've been cookin' but not diligent on taking photos or whatever. So, here's a loooooooong recap of what I've been concocting up in this place.

We've got Chili con Carne, Kathleen's Garlic Pasta, Garlic Knots, Ina's Pizza, & Eggplant Caprese on the line-up.

First up:

Chili con Carne

I actually made this when it was still warm over here but getting cooler. Right now would've been PERFECTO to make this bad boy. I also added loads of beans. I'm not one of those chili people who don't like beans in their chili. C'mon...fiber is soooooooo good for you!! Also, I had bottles of Guiness sitting in the pantry (the Hubs and I aren't drinkers) and needed to use it (I had it for another meal we love from our BFFs the Martinos...Beer Beef & Potatoes...mmmmmmm). I threw it in the chili and oooooooooh...that's what it's been missing!! Anyway...I lack measurements when I cook but here's what I put in it:

Tan's Chili Con Carne

Ground beef
Large onion, chopped
6-7 garlic cloves, minced
Cumin
Chili powder
Oregano
Garlic Powder
Salt/Pepper
Beans – kidney, black, pinto, etc.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Large can(s) diced tomatoes
12oz. bottle Guiness Beer
Small can of tomato sauce
Canned beans…however many you want (I typically add 4-6)
Frozen corn

Brown the beef in a few teaspoons of olive oil. Season w/salt & pepper. When thoroughly cooked, add onions. Allow to cook for several minutes, add garlic. Add spices & beans. Cook for a minute. Add entire contents of canned tomatoes, beer, & tomato sauce. Add water to canned tomatoes & tomato sauce…swish and add to pot. Simmer on high until thickened and liquid has reduced enough. 10 minutes prior to serving, add corn.

Serve w/plain yogurt, chopped green onions, & lowfat cheese.

Coming up:

Kathleen's Garlic Pasta

Kathleen is a good friend of my sister, co-worker, and a FOODIE too!! Kim has told me plenty of times how the whole fam are great cooks! So, of course when Kathleen & Kim plugged me into their food emails (during work no less...tsk, tsk, tsk...hahahaha), I had to try one of Kathleen's recipes! Thank goodness I did. This was simple, easy, and YUMMY! THANK YOU, Kathleen!!!

Kathleen's Garlic Pasta

6-8 (good size) cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
2-3 Tbls. olive oil
1/4 cup cream (more if you want it creamier)
lots of parmesan cheese (1/4 cup shredded - ish)
sprinkle of pepper (white pepper if you have it)
a bit of chopped fresh parsley

Sauté the garlic in olive oil . Add the cream and simmer a few minutes until bubbly & well combined. Toss everything with the pasta.

Next Up:

Ina's (aka Barefoot Contessa) Pizza & what to do w/the leftover dough

So, I suck...really, really, really ridiculously suck at making bread. Quick breads...no sweat. But put yeast in the ingredients & kneading...you have NO GO with me. The center of the bread is usually wonderful...however, that is after you have miraculously broken through the concrete crust with a combination sledge & jack hammer. Yes, I am THAT bad. So, several years ago I tried Ina Garten's (aka the Barefoot Contessa) recipe for Grilled California Pizzas. I was confident that my girl wouldn't let me down...and she didn't! I had successfully made a yeast bread w/o fail! WOOHOO!!! However, I managed to eek out 5 single pizzas out of this dough not knowing that one single pizza was enough to feed two! OOPS! So, this was the third time I made it and after being inspired by Em's yummy post on garlic knots this past summer...I knew what to do with half of the dough recipe! The photo above of my garlic knots was a bit off...and missing a knot since it was in mah belleh! ;o) But, I think I would've changed the salt content of the dough...too salty for the knots. I think I would've preferred a sweeter dough.

The only other time I was successful with yeast breads were several years ago with Alton Brown's Overnight Cinnamon Rolls and waaaaaaaaaaaaaay back when I was a single-digit age and made a potato cinnamon raisin bread.

Anyhoo...the last thing:

Eggplant Caprese from Shape Magazine

My sister, cousin, and I were scarred from a eggplant experience in our youth. I have since outgrown that experience...but I don't think they have yet. ;o) Let's just say after a month of the same same eggplant dish...we were good for a lifetime.

Anyhoo...Shape Magazine had this Eggplant Caprese recipe in one of their issues way back. It's become a favorite of ours and it's low-cal. Totally satisfying and YUMMY! Sean's my carnivore and this is a satisfying meal for him. It probably helps that I make a 5 lb. salad for the two of us. ;o) The photo above doesn't do the meal justice since A) I almost burnt the eggplant since we were packing up for our drive to DC and B) I almost burnt the eggplant while packing up for our drive to DC. ;o) TRY IT! It's so good!! You can find the recipe here.

Low-Cal Pesto

From Tanya Eats

The kids' portion.

Now, our family loves ourselves some pesto. Jaron just loves pasta...period...and rice. That boy is all about his carbs. Anyhoo, we love basil too...love it, love it, love it. Almost as much as garlic. But, garlic reigns supreme in this household and I doubt any other ingredient could usurp it.

I happened to be reading one of my favorite magazines (Women's Health) and was intrigued by the chef's challenge on making a low-cal pesto. I decided to try it one day and have never looked back ever since. Shoot, I don't even think I've made my regular pesto since discovering this one. The tomato-based sauce got me wondering how it compete with the traditional basil-garlic-parm-pine nut pesto, but boy o' boy was this one a winner!!

I typically use Barilla Plus pasta for everything...except linguine w/clam sauce. The main reason is because Barilla Plus does not come in the linguine shape...booooooooooooo. Anyhoo...this bad boy doesn't have the fiber-y consistency of whole wheat pasta and is loaded with fiber, protein, and Omega-3s...what's NOT to love about it?? It tastes FABULOUS!! Plus, I can feel like I'm giving the kiddies a more well-rounded meal when using it.

Anyhoo...on to the recipe! You can also find the original at this link.

Penne with Pesto alla Trapanese

Lidia Bastianich, the host of Lidia's Italy, creates a delicious dish with under 500 calories, 20 grams of fat, and 650 milligrams of sodium

• 3/4 lb penne rigate pasta
  
• 1/2 lb (about 4) Roma tomatoes, very ripe and sweet
  
• 8 large, fresh basil leaves
  
• 2 Tbsp unsalted roasted almonds
  
• 1 large garlic clove, crushed and peeled
  
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  
• 1/4 tsp coarse sea salt or kosher salt
  
• 1/4 c extra-virgin olive oil
  
• 1/4 c freshly grated Parmesan cheese (preferably Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano)
  
  

1. Cook pasta according to package instructions until al dente.

2. While pasta cooks, rinse the tomatoes and basil and pat dry. Cut tomatoes into large chunks.

3. Place the tomatoes in a blender or food processor, followed by the basil, almonds, garlic, red pepper flakes, and salt. Blend for a minute or more to a fine purée; scrape down the bowl and blend again if any large pieces are left.

4. With the machine still running, add the olive oil in a steady stream; it will emulsify the purée into a thick pesto.

5. Scrape the pesto into a big bowl. Drop drained pasta onto the pesto. Toss quickly to coat the pasta, sprinkle on cheese, and toss again. Serve immediately in bowls.

Makes 4 servings. Per serving: 495 calories, 19 g fat (3 g saturated), 232 mg sodium, 67 g carbs, 4 g fiber, 15 g protein

This was our serving (w/a bottle of crushed red pepper...hahaha)...with garlicky brussel sprouts & salad w/garlic-balsamic vinegarette.