Open Face Chicken Panini

This is one of my favorite recipes from Weight Watchers in 20 minutes. It is quick and easy to make and my whole family loves it. The recipe is for an open-faced sandwich but I make it as a regular sandwich. Either way it tastes good!


B

Ingredients:
4 (5 ounce) skinless boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
4 teaspoons olive oil
2 Tbs. finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 Tbs. coarse-grained Dijon mustard
2 (4 ounce) ciabatta rolls, split
1/2 cup lightly packed baby arugula
1 large tomato, sliced

Directions:

Sprinkle the chicken with the salt and pepper. Hat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until browned and cooked through, about 4 minutes on each side. Transfer to plate.

Meanwhile, combine the rosemary and mustard in a cup. Slowly whisk in the remaining 2 teaspoons oil. Brush the cut sides of the rolls with the rosemary-mustard mixture. Place a chicken breast half on each roll half and top evenly with the tomato and arugula.

Bok Choy Salad

Lately, I seem to keep bumping into Bok Choy.  No, not literally, but I've been hearing a lot about its great nutrition and anti-cancer qualities.  I also seem to be in a produce rut.  I do eat a fair amount of fruits and veggies, but I'm noticing that I keep buying the same ones over and over again.  I need some variety, people!  So, with Bok Choy on the brain, I set out to find a non-stir fry recipe to feature it. 

Enter:  Bok Choy Salad.  Basically, it's your regular green salad with an Asian flavor spin.  I topped it with different items and a homemade dressing, and we had it with dinner last night.  Verdict?  Yum!  When Bok Choy is raw, its leaf texture is like raw spinach.  The texture of the stalk is like celery, but without the pesky strings.  The flavor is only slightly bitter compared to regular lettuce. 

Bo gave this a 4 Spoons; I gave it a 5.  I loved that it was a salad with different flavors that had some nutrient power to it.  I'll definitely be making the salad and the dressing again.

Enjoy!

Asian-Style Vinaigrette Dressing
1/2 c. Sesame Oil *
1/4 c.  Rice Wine Vinegar (Mirin) *
1/3 c. Sugar
3 Tbsp. low-sodium Soy Sauce
 
Whisk all ingredients or shake them in a jar with tight-fitting lid.  Makes about 1 cup.

 

* Note:  the original recipe called for white vinegar and olive oil.  I opted for mirin and sesame oil to add more flavor.

 

 

 

Bok Choy Salad

1-2 Baby Bok Choy per person

green onion

cucumber

dried cranberries

mandarin orange segments

chow mein noodles

 

Chop all ingredients into bite-size pieces and arrange in serving dishes.  Top with dressing.

 

 

The ingredient lineup:

 

 

Baby Bok Choy!

Guest post: Chicken with Glazed Pears

Brandy asked me if I would be interested in doing a guest post. I said I would love to since I love to try( yes I said try) to cook new stuff and I had just gotten a new cook book for Mothers day. I Live in AL and it is extremely hot in my kitchen that I usually cook with my crock pot, but this recipe sounded so good that I had to suffer through it.

This recipe is from Audra Behling.


Ingredients

6 Tbsp. Olive Oil
6-10 Chicken Breast Cut into bite size pieces
Salt and Pepper
Flour for Dusting
2 Large onions, thinly sliced
4 cloves of Garlic, thinly sliced
4 Sprigs Thyme
4 sprigs of Rosemary
1 LB Small Red potatoes Halved
2 1/3 C Chicken Stock Divided
4 Tbsp. butter
1/2 C Packed Brown Sugar
3 Pears, peeled, cored, and cut into wedges

Directions

Heat Olive oil in a dutch oven or large pot medium-high heat. Season Chicken with salt and pepper. Dust the chicken with flour. Add the chicken to the hot oil and brown on all sides. Add onion and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until softened. Add Garlic, thyme, and rosemary and cook for another 2 min. Add potatoes and cook till they start to brown. Add 1/3 Cup of Chicken stock and reduce for 2 min. Stir in the remaining chicken stock, and bring to a boil. Stir well, cover and reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 45 min, or until the chicken is cooked. While the chicken is cooking, combine butter and brown sugar in a skillet. Place pears in the pan, increase the heat to medium high. Shake the pan to make sure all the pears are coated with the Glaze. Cook until the fruit is easily pierced with a knife. Serve chicken and potatoes with glazed pears on top. Makes 6-10 servings.








I scaled this down to fit my families needs but I wish I wouldn't have after it was all over. I give this 5 spoons my husband gave it 4. He thought it was weird to have pears on top of his chicken, I think it gave it the extra umph that made it GREAT!

-Joane


on behalf of

Can a Recipe be a 5 Spoon even if You Can't Eat It?

This week I wanted to make tapas...Spanish for I want to eat a little of everything...but at the last minute I made this recipe instead. Why? Because it looked good!

Have you ever been moved to cook something based on a picture? Check out the recipe at realsimple.com and you will see what I mean.

Tapas will have to wait til next week. This week I wanted some Orange Coriander Chicken! But it wasn't meant to be...a few onions got in the way.

Orange-Coriander Roast Chicken With Red Onions

from realsimple.com

By Kate Merker, April 2008

Ingredients

• 4 small red onions, sliced into 1/2-inch-thick rings
• 2 3 1/2-pound chickens
• 3/4 cup orange marmalade
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
• kosher salt and pepper

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400° F. Arrange the onions in a metal roasting pan. Place the chickens on top and tuck the wings under the backs.
2. In a small bowl, combine the marmalade, oil, coriander, 2 teaspoons salt, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Spread the mixture over the chickens and roast until they are cooked through, about 1 hour and 15 minutes (internal temperature of 165° F).
3. Transfer the chickens and onions to a platter and let rest for 10 minutes. Strain the pan drippings into a bowl. Let stand for 5 minutes. Skim the fat from the surface and discard. Serve the chickens and onions with the remaining juices.

Here's where it all started to go down hill...Hubby ran out to get me 4 small onions...and instead came home with soft ball size. I thought of my love of sauteed onions...and decided that it would be alright to use all 4. Big Mistake. The onions were so pungent that once I was able to get them all sliced...I literally had to leave the kitchen...my eyes were burning - tears so strong and steady you would have thought Friends was ending again.



After opening a few windows and drying my tears - I was able to inspect (I found 3 pin feathers), wash, and drain my chicks. I made sure to put them right side up and tuck back the wings.



Mixed up orange marmalade, coriander, oil, salt and pepper and slathered it on.




Now Hubby tells me that this chicken is definitely a 5 spoon recipe...but the smell of the onions was so overwhelming while they cooked (I got such a headache) that I couldn't eat it. My kids also thought it was fantastic - as long as I took it off the bone for them.

What do you think?

Can a recipe be a 5 spoon even if you can't eat it?