Cheese of the Goat

Adam, my husband, was at home today, for once, so I had to come up with 3 meals on the fly. I was able to come up with french toast for breakfast from a leftover demi baguette. Lunch was more difficult, it seemed like I was missing main ingredients of everything I craved. I always have basic staples on hand but wanted something different. I remembered I had some chevre and that got the ball rolling.

Beet & Chevre Salad with Mediterranean Grilled Chicken

SALAD
4 cups baby greens
1 sm can sliced beets
1 sm log chevre sliced
1/4 cup chopped pecans

DRESSING
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup olive oil
2 t brown sugar
1 T chopped garlic or 1 t garlic powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 t freshly ground black pepper

CHICKEN
4 boneless chicken breasts
1 t garlic powder
1 t lemon pepper
1 t chopped or dried basil
salt to taste
cooking spray

DIRECTIONS
Prepare dressing by placing all ingredients in blender for 1 minute, set aside
Assemble salad in separate dishes, layer greens sliced beets and sliced goat cheese
Season chicken and place in greased grill pan or frying pan on medium
Cook for 5 minutes on each side, or until cooked through
Slice chicken and add onto salad
Sprinkle pecans on each dish and add dressing to taste

Makes 4 Servings

This is so good and so good for you! Beets are one of those vegetables that everyone needs to incorporate into their diet.

POULET A LA CREME

First off, I have to give credit to Daniel Boulud. This is his recipe that I adapted to my own tastes. The main difference is that I don't use the butter or cream that his recipe calls for, instead I use yogurt, skim milk and cream cheese. I imagine you could sub in soy milk as well. I also like less fat in general so instead of using a whole chicken I used breasts. But you can use pork chops, turkey, or even Morningstar Farms® Meal Starters™ as a vegetarian option.

You can also make it into a stew by adding carrots, greenbeans or any combo of veggies.

This is like heaven to me. Not only is it fairly healthy, but it's a versatile meal as well and it has all those comforting flavors. And one pot cooking is so great, especially for people like me with no dishwasher

INGREDIENTS:

4 large chicken breasts
2 T light margerine
cooking spray
1 medium onion, chopped
20-30 button or crimini mushrooms, cleaned
2 T flour
1 1/2 cups white wine
2 1/2 cups chicken or veggie broth
1/2 cup skim milk
1/2 cup nonfat yogurt
1/2 cup light cream cheese, softened
salt and pepper to taste

Herbs:

Daniel suggests putting them in a sachet made from a cheesecloth to infuse the flavor. I'm a lazy cook so I put it right in the sauce. It was still beautifully flavored. I also used what I had fresh in the garden or on hand, including some dry rosemary. So you can be a little creative.

1 clove garlic
1t thyme
1 bay leaf
1 t parsley
1t tarragon
+ extra for garnish


DIRECTIONS:


If you choose to do the sachet, tie it up and set it aside.
Season chicken with S&P
Heat a large pot to medium
Spray with cooking spray
Add chicken breasts and cook until lightly browned
Reduce heat to medium low
Add margerine and onions
Cook for 5 minutes stirring occassionally until onions become close to translucent
Add mushrooms and cook for 5 more minutes stirring occacionally
Sprinkle flour over mixture and stir until dissolved (about 5 minutes)
Stir wine into mix and simmer until the liquid reduce by half
Add broth and sachet or herbs
Reduce heat to low and cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes
Remove chicken and sachet
The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, if not reduce further
Mix milk, yogurt and cream cheese and add to sauce
Bring to a soft boil 1-2 minutes, medium to medium-high heat
Return chicken to pot for 3-5 minutes until heated through

Serve on top of brown rice

A Brief History to Begin

I love to cook and always have. And more than that, I love to eat. This blog gives me a reason to cook or post a new recipe or culinary adventure every day each month. And if I'm cookin' it, then I'm eating it. It's really a win/win situation all around.