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How much do I love Allison Mooney’s jewelry on Etsy? The answer is A LOT. Her pieces are so delicate and timeless that I have a mind to buy them all up and wear them all at once. Go to her Etsy store to see more lovely things.

I have been eating a lot of chicken lately. I’m learning to cook for me and my boyfriend and the guy loves his poultry. He’s open minded and welcomes my meatless creations, so I indulge him with dishes like this Mediterranean Chicken. Fennel is still pretty much in season so it’s not expensive, and this dish gives you a chance to play around with it. The briny olives here add a nice kick to the mellow sweetness of the roasted fennel. Cherry tomatoes seem like such an indulgence this time of year, but they get roasted in this dish, which brings out their flavor, so I succumbed. Oh, how I miss tomatoes during the winter. This recipe is for two people, but you could easily double it. This is a make-ahead kind of dish because the chicken needs to marinade for at least an hour. Otherwise it comes together quickly with little hands-on time.

Mediterranean Chicken with Roasted Fennel

Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen’s Cooking for Two 2009. Is it cute or obnoxious that I bought this book?
Serves 2
Marinade time: at least 1 hour
Hands-on time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 35-45 minutes
Cost per serving: ~$6

Marinade

1/3 cup olive oil
1 shallot, minced
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons chopped basil
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
a few grindings of fresh black pepper
2 bone-in, skin-on split chicken breasts (about 8 ounces each)

Veggies

2 fennel bulbs
1 cup cherry tomatoes
10 pitted Kalamata olives, coarsely chopped
salt and pepper to taste
juice of half a lemon
chopped basil for garnish

Prep work: Mince the shallot and garlic. Chop the basil and olives. Juice the lemon. To prep the fennel, cut off the stalks then slice them in half. Core them by cutting a cone out of the bottom (see photo). Slice the fennel thinly lengthwise.

1. For the marinade: combine all of the marinade ingredients (except the chicken, silly) in a bowl and stir to combine. Reserve 1/4 cup of the marinade and place in the refrigerator. Add the rest of the marinade and the chicken to a large zipper-lock bag, press out the air and seal the bag. Smoosh the chicken around in the marinade in the bag and put in the refrigerator for 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
2. Heat the oven to 450° F. Combine the fennel, tomatoes, olives, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the reserved marinade (not the stuff the chicken is sitting in!) and toss to coat. Dump the veggies into a 8- or 9-inch square baking dish.
3. Remove the chicken from the marinade and nestle them skin-side up in the veggies. Throw out any marinade left in the baggie. Bake until the chicken reaches an internal temp of 160° F, or about 35-45 minutes. A meat thermometer is really handy for measuring internal temp.
4. Stir the lemon juice into the remaining reserved marinade. Transfer the chicken, veggies and pan juices to a platter and pour the lemon-marinade mixture over it. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before sprinkling with the remaining basil. Serve it!

Nutrition info assumes 1/4 cup of olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon of salt in the final recipe. OK, there is a lot of fat in this, but I don’t eat the chicken skins and I did say it is an indulgence Pull the skins off if you want to save some fat and calories, or satisfy yourself that you are getting half your daily recommended fiber and most of your vitamin C and a fourth of your iron.

Stew can be quick if you use the right ingredients. This recipe from New Vegetarian Cuisine is a perfect example. The trick is to use red lentils if you can find them, which are actually yellow lentils with the outer husk removed. Whole Foods has them in the bulk section, but you may also be able to find them at larger grocery stores amongst the dried beans. They are a bright orange color and turn yellow once they are cooked. Bonus points: Lentils have plenty of iron, protein and fiber. If you can’t find red lentils you can substitute green or brown, but the cooking time will need to be extended by 10-15 minutes.

I modified the recipe in New Vegetarian Cuisine by using yellow potatoes, which hold up better to cooking than regular baking potatoes. If, like me, you like chunks of potato in your stew try using Yukon Golds. I also switched out the tarragon for basil because I had some left over from the Mediterranean Olive Bread I made, and it’s easier to find in most grocery stores. If you use a food processor to shred the veggies, this dish comes together in minutes. Did I mention how much I love my new food processor? I don’t even mind that I have to wash it by hand (since I don’t have a dish washer).

Balsamic Lentil Stew

Lentil Stew Action Shot!

4 cups water
1 1/4 cups red lentils
2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes
ground black pepper
5-6 green onions
2 carrots
1 medium zucchini
1 medium yellow squash
2 large cloves garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1. Cut the potatoes into cubes. In a large pot, combine the water, lentils, potatoes and pepper (to your liking) and bring to a boil. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes.
2. While the lentils are cooking, chop the green onions and grate the carrots, zucchini and squash. You can also use the grater on a food processor for the veggies. Finely chop the garlic.
3. In a large no-stick frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, veggies and garlic and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently.
4. Once the carrots are softened, add the veggie mixture to the lentils. Mix in the basil and vinegar and heat through another 2-3 minutes. Serve in big bowls. You won’t need another meal for about 8 hours.
   ]]> http://www.drmiggy.com/2009/11/04/quick-and-cheap-dinner-balsamic-lentil-stew/feed/ 4 http://www.drmiggy.com/2009/11/01/food-pr0n-mediterranean-olive-bread/ http://www.drmiggy.com/2009/11/01/food-pr0n-mediterranean-olive-bread/#comments Mon, 02 Nov 2009 03:35:33 +0000 drmiggy http://www.drmiggy.com/?p=1004 In spite of my initial failures, I’ve had one vegan baking success this weekend. This aromatic quick bread caught my eye while flipping through The Joy of Vegan Baking because it looked foolproof. What can I say, my ego took a beating and I needed a sure thing.

   I prepared the recipe almost as directed and scraped it into a springform pan, just for shits and giggles. You could also make a loaf if you don’t have a round pan. I omitted the sun-dried tomatoes, simply because I really don’t care for them and they are expensive. The rosemary and freshly baked bread aroma that filled my little apartment had me drooling in anticipation. It was torture to let the loaf cool. I popped open the springform pan and immediately cut the loaf into wedges. The texture is similar to focaccia, and the pungent olives, piney rosemary and sweet crunch of the walnuts complement each other perfectly. This bread would be great along side an autumn lentil stew or a minestrone soup. Alternatively, you could just eat half the loaf by yourself for dinner, which I totally didn’t do.

   

   Mediterranean Olive Bread

   Adapted from The Joy of Vegan Baking
   Yield one standard sized loaf

   no-stick spray
   1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
   3/4 cups whole wheat flour
   2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
   1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
   2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil
   1/2 teaspoon salt
   4 1/2 teaspoons Ener-G egg replacer
   6 tablespoons water
   1 cup soy milk
   1/4 cup olive oil
   1/3 cup chopped walnuts
   1/3 cup chopped pitted black olives

   1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a loaf pan (square, rectangle or round, whatever curls your toes) with no-stick spray.
   2. In a large bowl, mix the flours, baking powder, chopped herbs and salt. Set aside.
   3. In a blender combine the egg replacer and water until thickened a little. The recipe calls for enough egg replacer for 3 eggs, so I suppose you could just use eggs. I didn’t test it, though. Add the soy milk and olive oil to the blender and mix until combined.
   4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold until almost all of the dry ingredients are moistened. Add the walnuts and olives and fold in just until combined. Don’t over mix or the bread will get tough.
   5. Scoop the batter into your prepared pan, evening it out with a spoon or rubber spatula. Bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 30-40 minutes depending on the pan you use. Just check it after 30 minutes and if the knife is goopy then let it bake for 5-10 minutes longer. The top crust should be a light brown and feel hard to the touch. My round pan only required 30 minutes, but an 8-inch loaf pan will probably need the entire 40 minutes.
   6. Let the bread cool in the pan on a rack or trivet for at least 10 minutes. Remove the bread from the pan and let cool completely, if you can stand the wait.
   ]]> http://www.drmiggy.com/2009/11/01/food-pr0n-mediterranean-olive-bread/feed/ 2 http://www.drmiggy.com/2009/09/20/quick-and-cheap-dinner-broccoli-and-rice-confetti-salad/ http://www.drmiggy.com/2009/09/20/quick-and-cheap-dinner-broccoli-and-rice-confetti-salad/#comments Mon, 21 Sep 2009 00:06:50 +0000 drmiggy http://www.drmiggy.com/?p=834 I’m no longer merely flirting with vegetarianism. I have tackled it to the ground and am humping it’s leg. We aren’t going steady yet, as I have had a few meatful meals in the last several weeks. I just can’t make the commitment, at least not until I get to know it better.

   Wow, I rode the wheels off that metaphor, but dangit it was fun. This is a lovely salad that I modified from a recipe in Quick Vegetarian Pleasures. The rice will take 45-60 minute to cook depending on how you go about it. I like to cook rice in a steamer so it takes me closer to an hour. Most of that time is hands off because the rest of the recipe comes together quickly. I know the raisins sound freaky, but trust me they add a nice sweetness to the flavors. Skip them if you are being a wuss and I’m sure the salad will turn out fine. Wuss.

   Broccoli and Rice Confetti Salad

   Serves 2-3 as a main dish
   Total time about 1 hour, though only 20 minutes is hands on
   Cost per serving about $3
   

   

   It's a veggie landscape!

   For the salad:
   1/2 cup brown rice
   1 head of broccoli
   1/3 cup raisins
   2 carrots
   1/4 of a small red onion
   2 tablespoons basil

   For the dressing:
   1 garlic clove, pressed or minced
   2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
   1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
   1 tablespoon olive oil
   1/4 teaspoon salt
   ground black pepper to taste

   1. Cook the rice as you normally would. If you cook it directly on the stove, combine the rice with 1.5 cups of water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover. Cook until all of the water is absorbed, about 45 minutes. I steam rice because it never burns or sticks to the bottom of the pan that way. It requires a steamer, though.
   2. Chop the broccoli into florets. Cut the carrots into sticks then dice into small chunks. Place the broccoli in a saucepan with about 1/4 cup water, cover the pan, and heat over medium heat for a few minutes. The broccoli will be bright green and tender-crisp. Drain off any remaining water.
   3. Combine the dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisk for a minute or two. Set aside.
   4. Mince the onion and basil. Set aside.
   5. When the rice is done, combine it with the broccoli, raisins, carrots, onion and basil. Mix in the dressing and toss to coat. Serve at room temperature.

   This salad is even better after it’s marinated in the fridge for a day. If you feel the need for more protein in your meal, maybe you could add some tofu…or just lick some peanut butter off a spoon

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