Thursday, April 15, 2010

Grilled Chicken Parmigiana


Here's a good one, not too many steps and not as many calories as the traditional Chicken Parmesan. The kids should like it!
I like to serve it with creamy polenta, but it would be good with pasta or rice too.


Grilled Chicken Parmigiana

Ingredients

* 2 pounds thin cut chicken breast, cutlets
* Salt and pepper
* Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling, plus 2 tablespoons
* 3 to 4 cloves garlic, chopped
* 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
* 1 small yellow skinned onion, finely chopped
* 1 (28-ounce) can fire roasted diced tomatoes, such as Muir Glenn brand
* 1 cup, 20 leaves, fresh basil leaves, shredded or torn
* 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano
* 1/2 pound smoked mozzarella, thinly sliced

Directions

Heat outdoor grill or indoor grill pan to high. Season chicken with salt and pepper and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil to keep it from sticking to the grill. Cook 3 to 4 minutes on each side and transfer to a foil covered platter to hold. If you are using a grill pan, cook the chicken in 2 batches if necessary. While chicken cooks, make sauce.

Place a medium pot on the stove over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan. Add garlic, crushed red pepper flakes and chopped onions. Cook 10 minutes, stirring often. Add tomatoes and heat through, 2 minutes. Wilt in the basil and season the sauce with salt and pepper.

Preheat the broiler to high.

Layer the chicken with fire roasted sauce in a casserole dish. Top the casserole with Parmigiano and mozzarella. Brown the casserole under the broiler 3 minutes.

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Banana Muffins with Mascarpone Cream Frosting

Well Jessica has been shy to post anything so far, so I'll post something for her ;) I first had these tasty muffins at her house and they are great! This is a Food Network recipe and I alter it a little when I make it at home. I substitute 2 cups of the flour for whole wheat flour, sometimes I put a little wheat germ in as well, but I can never remember how to alter the proportions to use wheat germ. Also I use a little less sugar (I know you're not supposed to mess with the proportions when baking, but it doesn't seem to affect it too much and I think there's really too much sugar in this recipe). The frosting is super yummy, but sometimes I just don't have the mascarpone (or feel like buying it) so I just eat them plain or put a little butter on top. We like walnuts so I add some to the muffin mix. This is great when you buy too many bananas and want to use them up!

Banana Muffins with Mascarpone Cream Frosting

Ingredients
Muffins:

* 3 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 2 cups sugar
* 1 cup vegetable oil
* 3 large eggs
* 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
* 4 ripe bananas, peeled and coarsely mashed

Frosting:

* 3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
* 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
* 1/3 cup mascarpone cheese, room temperature
* 3 tablespoons honey
* 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

Directions

Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl to blend. Beat the sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl to blend. Stir in the banana. Add the dry ingredients and stir just until blended.

Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups. Bake the muffins on the middle rack until the tops are golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out with no crumbs attached, about 25 minutes. Transfer the muffins to a rack and cool slightly. The muffins may be eaten warm or cooled completely and frosted.

To frost the cupcakes: Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the mascarpone cheese and then beat in the honey. Spread the frosting over the muffins. Sprinkle with the walnuts.