Hey fellas!  Thanks for dropping by over.  Are you hungry?  I am not sharing anything fancy here today just a simple dish that you can whip up at home in no time on a week night and maybe impress that special someone – or even your own stomach.

For this little number, I took boneless skinless chicken thighs gave them a little crack with the mallet to flatten them, seasoned them, breaded them with panko and baked them in the oven.  After the bake, I hit them with some homemade basil tomato sauce, and topped them with a hint of feta.

My spin on chicken parmesan without the parmesan…

Ingredients

• 8 Chicken thighs, boneless skinless
• Salt and pepper
• 1 Cup Panko bread crumbs
• 1 Tsp. Oregano
• 1 Clove garlic
• 6-8 ripe tomatoes, chopped or from a can
• 2 Tbsp. fresh basil chopped
• 1/4 Cup goat cheese

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or tin foil.
3. Place the bread crumbs in a large bag and season it with th1 tsp. of the oregano and salt and pepper.
4. Using wax paper and a meat mallet, gently smack the chicken thighs so they flatten out slight to a more even thickness
5. Drop the flatten chicken thighs in the bag of bread crumbs, tossing to ensure they are coated well.
6. Distribute the chicken on the baking sheet and cook for 350 for 45 mins until crispy and tender.
7. In a large pot, add the tomatoes, garlic and remaining oregano.  Begin to cook the tomatoes over medium heat allowing them to break down.  after about 10 minutes you can puree the sauce with a hand blender and let simmer.
8. Add the basil at the final moment to the sauce.
9. Remove the chicken, pat dry with a paper towel the underside as there may be some excess fat.  Plate, top with the sauce and feta cheese.
10. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip:  When using fresh herbs versus dry herbs you want to add the fresh in at the very last minute versus early on as you would with dry.  The aromatics and freshness will come through in a short time with fresh herbs brightening your dish with both color and flavor.

I hope you enjoyed this spin on a classic.  Let me know if you try it at home.  It was well received here and will make the February calendar as well.  Have a good Wednesday and I will see you on Friday.

Take care

zesty

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Hey!  Happy Friday.  Crazy day here today so I will not take too long.  However, I do have a lot to tell you.  First of all, it is a Friday, the last Friday of Movember.  So if you have not done so already, which I pretty much no you didn’t you should sponsor me for growing this crazy cat on my lip to raise money for prostate cancer.

In addition to that, I am preparing for a party for little Zesty tomorrow.  Ella turns 4 on Tuesday and we are having a family party tomorrow at noon.  Menu is set and I will provide a full update and recap on Monday.  For the most part, all new recipes for me so it could be a huge flop.  If so, we have the cake to fall back on as it is store bought.

Thirdly, I have to talk to you about this one pot chicken dish that Zesty junior and I put together on Tuesday.  Took all of 6 minutes to prepare and a couple of hours in the oven.  I used a store bought peach chutney and a store bought curry paste…. Too easy.  Results were very good.  Somethings in life are simple – yet we always try to make them seem more complex.

Ingredients

• 4 large Chicken Breasts, bone-in
• 1 Tbsp. Curry paste
• 2 Tbsp. Peach chutney
• 1 Tbsp. Mustard
• 1 Tbsp. Coriander
• 3/4 Cup water
• 1 Large Cabbage, sliced
• 1 Cup cranberries
• 2 Handfuls Cherry tomatoes
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large roasting pan, line the bottom with the cabbage and season with salt and pepper
3. Place chicken on top; add cranberries and tomatoes.
4. In a bowl, combine remaining ingredients and mix together.
5. Pour over chicken, cover with lid and roast for about 90-120 minutes.
6. Enjoy!

Zesty Tip: Make sure you place the cabbage on the bottom of the pan as you want it to cook in the liquids as opposed to getting crispy on top.  Feel free to add any other root vegetable to the dish for additional flavor.

As the November Friday tradition, here is a shot of the stash with 5 days to go.

I hope you have a great weekend.  Come back on Monday for a full birthday party update.

Take care

zesty

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Good morning and I thank you.  For all the nice emails regarding the thanksgiving feast and your request for certain recipes.  I will work on getting those for you and post them either Friday of this week or early next week.  Today I wanted to share with you a simple salad that can be put together in minutes and meet all the nutritional needs of your body.  Salads for lunch can get pretty boring, at least for me so every now and I again I switch them up and keep the flavors unique.

This combination of balsamic, mango with roasted chicken was a great combination.  Maybe because there is feta cheese on there as well with some crunch from slivered almonds and firm cucumber.  Whatever the flavors may be, try to match texture with sexiness and your salads will make your tummy happy both inside and out.  Wow, I just re read that line and it sounds like I am promoting healthy eating.  What I was really going for is that if you make foods that look good you are more apt to enjoy them and feel good after you eat them.

OK enough with the sensitive chatter let’s get going and build this salad.  I will not put the measurements as it totally doesn’t matter.

Ingredients

• Baby spinach
• Iceberg lettuce
• Cucumber
• Slivered almonds
• Fresh mango
• Roasted chicken
• Feta cheese
• Tomatoes, grape
• Balsamic vinegar

Method

1. Assemble all ingredients on a plate or bowl starting with the largest vegetables and continuing to chicken and cheese.
2. Drizzle with balsamic.
3. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: For a new twist on salads, heat up the balsamic vinegar or whichever dressing you like and pour it over your salad.  The warmth of the dressing will start to wilt the spinach ever so slightly and give you a whole different texture and perspective on your salad.

I am just about ready to head into the office.  Middle of the week is upon us and the middle of October is approaching.  Before I sign off I have a BIG question for you.

What is your favorite SALAD DRESSING?

I am just curious because normally I am balsamic vinegar or a homemade version of olive oil, mustard, honey and a pinch of salt and pepper.  Spill the beans and tell me yours via email or comments.  Have a great Wednesday and keep smiling.

Take care

zesty

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Happy Friday to you!  I have about 8 minutes to complete this post and than head to the office so bear with me for the quick and simple low down on how to make tender chicken legs with little to no effort.  Slow roasting food, all be it takes some patience, but it is definitely one of my favorite things to do.  Now don’t get me wrong, I am a fan of the bbq, the broiler and of course pan searing – but there is something about the slow roasting technique that really gets me cranked up.

The smell fills the room, people around you get happy and the reward at the end of the wait is well…. worth it!  Last Sunday I had some chicken legs thawing on the counter without a whole lot of ideas bouncing thru my head as to how I was going to prepare them.  A coated potato chip crust, went thru my head and left.  A simple dry roast with some herbs came and left and then I realized that I had some curry paste left in the fridge.

Curry and mustard with some dried oregano and lemon zest was screaming my name.  I ran to the fridge – well probably just walked quickly and gathered my lemon, the curry paste and mustard.  Quickly turned the corner and grabbed the oregano and I was set.  Ripped down a roasting pan,  grabbed a bowl and open the chicken legs like someone with a fluffy tail was chasing me.

I had this concoction ready to go before I even preheated the oven.  Oh so easy…  Oh so good.  As it was just finishing up, I tossed in some cous cous and threw in a little chopped spinach and lemon to compliment the chicken and let it cook.  Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes.  Toss it with a fork and garnish with some green onion.

I will be honest here, as I pretty much always am…. I don’t like cous cous but Mrs. Zesty loved it.  Needless to say she had the left overs.

Ingredients

• 8-10 Chicken drumsticks
• 2 Tbsp. Curry paste
• 1 Tbsp. Mustard
• Splash of soy sauce
• 1 Tsp. Dried oregano
• 1/4 Cup water
• zest of a lemon
• juice of a lemon
• Cracked black pepper
• 3 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 Onion, peeled and chopped

Method

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
2. Assemble chicken in roasting pan, add carrots and onions
3. In a bowl mix together remaining ingredients and toss over chicken and vegetables
4. Cook uncovered for about 90 minutes, allowing the sauce to thicken and the chicken to caramelize.
5. Remove from heat and serve with your favorite side dish.



6. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: If you find the sauce too thick just add a little water before tossing it in with the chicken.  You want the sauce to pour easily.  Be sure to baste the chicken during cooking maybe 2-3 times.

Alright, so last day of work before a holiday weekend and lots to get finished up.  I hope you have a great day and you know what next week means.  Turkey ideas and leftovers for all…. and maybe a recap of the infamous turkey day at the zesty in-laws.  Talk on Monday!

Take care

zesty

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Hitting you up wit a re post today as I am away from home for today and the weekend.

Some things will never change.  I will continue to cook fun, easy and idiot proof recipes for you to “hopefully” enjoy and document them along the way with pictures to aide in your at home preparation.  I think today will not disappoint.  What do you get when you take roasted mushrooms with Parmesan cheese, pan seared chicken breasts with balsamic and orange reduction, fresh spinach and some whole wheat pasta?

Answer = YUM

This dish was actually quite tasty and as I was evaluating it last night – the one thing I would alter was the amount of sauce.  I had very little as it reduced so much so in the ingredients below I will display what I did but you may want to increase the amounts if you are a sauce lover.

Ingredients

• 2 Boneless Chicken breasts ( sliced)
• 2 Cups Whole button mushrooms
• 2 Large handfuls of spinach
• 1/4 Cup Orange Juice
• 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• 2 Tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar
• Parmesan Cheese
• 2 Cups Whole Wheat Penne Pasta

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Cook pasta according to directions
3. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange mushrooms on sheet



4. Coat with one tablespoon of olive oil, balsamic vinegar and some Parmesan cheese; toss to coat evenly
5. Roast for 20 minutes turning occasionally





6. In a saute pan, turn to medium heat and begin to cook the chicken with the remaining tablespoon of oil.  Once the chicken begins to brown toss in the roasted mushrooms, orange juice, remaining balsamic and let reduce for 4 minutes



7. Add spinach and cook until spinach is wilted





8. Add noodles, mix thoroughly and dress with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.





9. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: For me this tip is all about balance.  Use the balsamic and orange juice to balance themselves but be sure you have enough sauce.  This was my only mistake in this dish.  I feel it would have been even better with more sauce.

Tell me what you think of this recipe, what other recipes you would like to see, whether you would like to participate by doing a zesty post or if you just like stopping in here each day to check things out.

I am wide open and very flexible and there is nothing I will not answer.  Have yourself a great Friday and weekend!

Take care

zesty

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Middle of the week…. Whoooo Hooooo!  And believe it or not it is not raining here.  The amount of rain we have had here in the past 4 weeks is nuts.  I feel I have to buy a baler so I can get the grass cut.  I was out last night in between rain drops and took a walk around the house.  The grass/weeds were so tall they almost made me cry.  You know I am pretty tough so I held the tears back and forged ahead.

As we move onto the food, I thought I would share one more savory apple dish to continue on from my apple and rice dish from Monday.  This dish today is a cross between scalloped potatoes and a chicken potato casserole.  The only big difference is I add some apple slices to compliment the chicken.  The sweetness of the apple goes well with the chicken and because it is braised in cream sauce – it is SO good!

Ingredients

• 4-6 pieces of chicken ( legs, wings, thighs or breast )
• 2 Medium apples, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 Tsp. Nutmeg
• Cilantro for garnish
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. Mustard
• 1 Tbsp. Brown sugar
• 6 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
• 4 Tbsp. butter
• 3 Tbsp.flour
• 1 Tsp. salt
• 1/4 Tsp. pepper
• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 1 small onion, finely chopped

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. For the chicken, in a preheated pan begin to sear chicken on all sides and once golden brown, set aside.
3. In a bowl combine garlic,nutmeg, mustard and brown sugar and mix together to make a paste.
4. Smear the paste over the chicken and set aside.
5. For the potatoes, heat 3 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan over low heat until melted. Blend in flour, salt and pepper. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly. Gradually stir in milk, 1/2 cup at a time.
6. Heat to boiling. Boil and stir 1 minute.
7. Arrange potatoes and apples in greased 3 quart casserole in 3 layers, topping each layer with part of the chopped onions and 1/3 of the sauce. Add the chicken pieces through out the casserole dish as well.
8. Dot the top with the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter, broken into little pieces.
9. Cover and bake until potatoes are tender, about 60-70 minutes.
10. Let stand 5 to 10 minute before serving.
11. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: Add 1/2 to 3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese to the sauce and mix to melt. Sprinkle bread crumbs on the top if the potato mixture before baking and bake as above. Easy au gratin potatoes!

So there you have it.  Comfort food at it’s simplest form but if you try this… I am sure you will be happy!  Nothing fancy, just serve in a big heaping plate and squat down on the couch and enjoy.

No squatting on the couch for me tonight.  I have been invited to attend the One Year Gala for the G! Magazine tonight.  How exciting, I know.  I will have to dust off the dress clothes and get a hair cut…

I will fill you in on how it went on Friday.

Take care

zesty

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Hi Zesty Readers!  This is Danica from Danica’s Daily.  I am excited to be posting for Zesty while he is off vacationing with his family since he is always willing to help me out.   Zesty is not only an awesome COOK but he rocks at Website Design.  He has helped me numerous times over at Danica’s Daily, but, he really went above and beyond with the work he did over at Friends for Weight Loss, my Weight Watcher Support group!

Today’s recipe is one of my new favorite things.  I absolutely LOVE the Fire Cracker Chicken at Panda Express and get it every year when it comes around for Chinese New Year.  I have been wanting to make this recipe ever since I saw that they had it online.

The only thing is that their recipe online didn’t include all the ingredients listed in the instructions and I think needed to have some changes to match the actual flavor.  Below is my take on their recipe.

Ingredients

• 12 oz marinated chicken breast, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 sweet onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp Ground Ginger (fresh is better if you have it)
• 2 tsp Crushed Red Chili Pepper
• 1 Tbsp Black Beans Sauce
• 1 tsp Mirin ~ Sweet Japanese Cooking Wine
• 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
• 1 Tbsp Teriyaki Sauce
• 1 tsp Sriracha (hot chili sauce), optional if you like more heat
• 1 Tbsp Cornstarch Mix (equal parts cornstarch powder and water)
• 2 scallions, diced, as an optional topper for color

Marinade

• 12 oz Chicken Breast, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 1/2 tsp Cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 Egg White
• 1 tsp Vegetable Oil

Method

1. Stir together vegetable oil, egg white, cornstarch and salt in a mixing bowl. Add chicken, and mix, making sure to coat all of the chicken with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes to marinate. PREP EVERYTHING ELSE while the meat marinates because the recipe goes together fast.

2. Heat vegetable oil in a large wok (or non-stick skillet) over a high flame. Add marinated chicken and stir quickly, separating the meat and then cook for approximately 1 minute. Remove cooked chicken and drain well.

3. Add onion, bell peppers, garlic, ginger, chili pepper and black beans into the heated skillet. Stir for 1 minute.

4. Add cooked chicken, cooking wine, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, sriracha and cornstarch mix with water. Stir until the sauce boils and thickens. Add sesame oil and continue stirring until the ingredients are thoroughly mixed and cook through, about 3-4 minutes. Place finished product on a dish and serve with brown rice.

Makes 4, 1 cup servings

Enjoy!

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Holy Salad again!  I am starting to impress myself with my eating habits of late.   This was just a quick last minute put together dinner that was tasty for sure but I was starving by 8:00pm.  Not the end of the world as you know I love eating and it was just in time for the hockey game to start.  For my evening snack I went with a bowl of cereal and my traditional handful of  “All Dressed” chips well OK, maybe 2 handfuls and a bit of chocolate at the end.

It takes me back to the sweet and salty post from a while ago.  I am definitely both!

Back to the salad

For this simple salad I went with the combination of chicken and fruit which I love.  The crisp pear was a great match for the spicy chicken.  I just had some frozen boneless chicken breasts that were done up chipolte style from the grocery store.  I roasted them in the oven for 25 minutes and chopped them up with some other fruits and vegetables.  Here is the mix.

Ingredients

• Baby Romaine Lettuce
• Sliced strawberries
• Sliced Pears
• Cooked Chicken breast
• Balsamic vinegar
• Cucumbers
• Carrots
• Tomatoes
• Olive oil

Method

1. Cook and slice chicken breasts
2. Prepare all fruits and vegetables in the salad by washing and chopping to your desired sizes
3. Organize the salad in the bowl
4. In a small jar, mix 2 parts oil to one part balsamic – add a dash of mustard and shake.
5. Dress the salad and serve
6. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: The addition of mustard to the dressing allows the oil and vinegar to combine into a nice rich texture and not break.

So there you have yet another simple salad for your Wednesday pick me up!  I don’t really have much to say other than I hope you enjoy the salad.  I am not sure what I am going to post for Friday as of yet but I did make another sweet potato dish a couple of weeks back that may be worthy of sharing.  Have an awesome hump day and keep smiling.

Take care

zesty

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Ever want to escape the weather?  Some choose to go to an all inclusive resort, other choose to have special weekend away in seclusion and than there is some that just pretend to relive the summer and make a kicked up barbeque chicken sauce in the middle of January.

I guess for this week I am the latter of the three described above.  For me, nothing beats the barbeque.  The thrill of the grill and the flavors make my mouth water, hairs stand up and belly growl.  For today, I thought I would share one of my favorite sauces to have on hand – homemade barbeque chicken sauce.  This BBQ sauce can we used on just about anything… from chicken, beef, pork, vegetables, rice, nachos, you name it.

I am pretty sure you could smear this BBQ sauce on your car bumper and love it.

Barbeque (BBQ) Chicken Sauce Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 Cup Brown Sugar
• 2 Tsp. Dry Mustard
• 2 Tsp. Smoked paprika
• 1 Clove garlic ( crushed)
• 4 Tsp. Chili powder
• 1 Cup Ketchup
• 1 Cup cider vinegar
• 3 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tbsp. Salt
• 1 Tbsp. Pepper

Method

1. Preheat large sauce pan over medium heat
2. Stir all dry ingredients together and than add remaining liquid.
3. Mix thoroughly and bring to a gentle boil ( stirring occasionally )
4. Reduce to a simmer for 25-30 minutes
5. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip:  The longer you simmer this barbeque chicken sauce, the better it will be.  If you notice it getting to thick, just add a little water.  Package this in resealable jars and give it to your friends, they will be happy.

OK, so you have to try this sauce… not because I love barbeque but just for the shear excitement of your taste buds.  Let me know if you do give it a try and let me know your thoughts and alterations if you made any.  Have a super day and I will talk to you on Friday.

Take care

zesty

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I have a pretty fun recipe to share with you today.  Remember back around the new year  – we went to a potluck and I was unsure what to bring.  Well I was surfing the net looking for ideas and I strolled by Heidi’s 101 Cookbooks and found an very interesting and delicious pasta dish.  Once laying my eyes on the picture I was hooked and then I read deeper into the recipe and I was all set.  I had all the ingredients on hand minus the mozzarella so that was a snap to pick up.

I thought about adding a few ingredients to it that I had on hand not that it needed it -I just thought it would be nice to use of the stuff I had in the fridge.  The additions were chicken, bacon and roasted tomatoes.  Let’s just say it was a huge hit at the potluck.

Ingredients

• extra-virgin olive oil
• 3/4 pound whole wheat pasta shells
• sea salt
• 2 Chicken breasts (sliced and cooked)
• 8 pieces of bacon  (cooked and crumbled)
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 4 cups well-chopped fresh spinach
• 10-12 Roasted grape tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cups sliced almonds, lightly toasted
• zest of 2 lemons
• 8 ounces mozzarella, shredded or torn into small pieces

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.





2. Butter/oil a large casserole dish or baking pan – something roughly equivalent to 13×9-inch pan.



3. In a separate saute pan cook the bacon until crispy and then remove and set aside.



4. In a separate saute pan dry roast the almonds until brown and then remove and set aside.
5. Boil the pasta in salted water per package instructions. Drain pasta, toss with some olive oil. Set aside.
6. Heat a bit of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high. Saute the chicken with a couple pinches of salt until no longer pink.







7. While the chicken is cooking, pop some tomatoes in the oven to start the roasting process – toss with olive oil and salt and pepper.  Cook for about 12-15 minutes.







8. Back to the chicken -stir in garlic and roasted tomatoes and let cook for a minute.  Toss in bacon and spinach. Cook for just about 20 seconds, until the spinach collapses a bit.









9. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of the almonds and 1/2 of the zest; mixing extremely well, a minute or so.



10. Now sprinkle the bottom of baking dish with the rest of the zest.



11. Add a layer of the pasta to the bottom of the baking pan, now sprinkle with some of the cheese and chicken mixture, add more pasta, then more cheese and more chicken mixture until complete. Finish with a layer of cheese.









12. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes or until cheese on top is bubbly.
13. Serve sprinkled with the remaining almonds.



14. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: This pasta dish was really really good!  The only thing I noticed is that if you overcook it at all it will become pretty dry.  To avoid this you could add a little lemon juice to the chicken mixture and just be sure not to over bake the pasta and eat right away.

Around the Blogsphere

Are you ever looking for great blogs that have fun and exciting recipes?  I thought you would be so I decided I would share with you a few of my favorites in case you didn’t already know.

Here are some great recipe blogs that you will sure to find handy.

Kayln’s Kitchen – For a great combination of home cooked ideas, healthy alternatives and all around great recipes – this is a great spot.

Southern Plate – For all things Southern, Christy has it covered.  If you have never been here – it is a must to see.

RecipeGirl - This site has a lot of action, great recipes and Lori really knows how to cook.  Check it out.

Bakerella - Ever want to learn how to make the most amazing cake pops.  Bakerella is really amazing.

Joythebaker - For all things baking, it is a must to check out Joy.  You may never leave.

So there you have it.  A truly fun recipe to try on a Sunday afternoon and a great list of recipe blogs that you should check out for sure.  I hope you have a great Wednesday and I think I may have a little announcement on Friday.  Nothing major but just a little more fun.

Have a super Wednesday.

Take care

zest

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