Chicken Piccata

I've made chicken piccata before, but that recipe didn't call for capers (blasphemy!) and no longer fits in my clean eating lifestyle. I was very excited to see a new version in the Sept/Oct issue of Clean Eating Magazine - capers included!

This recipe turned out to be fantastic. I had some leftover artichoke hearts so I threw them in - what a great addition that turned out to be! Surprisingly, and thankfully, I didn't miss the butter in the sauce at all!

Chicken Piccata
Slightly Adapted from Clean Eating Magazine, Sept/Oct 2009, page 49

• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour, divided
• sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• 4, 4-oz boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/4 inch thick
• 3 tsp olive oil, divided
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
• 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 tbsps capers or olives, rinsed and coarsely chopped
• 1 tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped (I omitted)
• 1/2 cup artichoke hearts, chopped (I added)

1. Reserve 1 tbsp flour for later use. In a shallow dish, combine remaining flour with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess.

2. Heat 1 tsp oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken to pan and cook 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Remove chicken from pan and transfer to plate.

3. Using the same pan over medium high heat, add remaining 2 tsp oil, garlic, and reserved 1 tbsp flour. Heat mixture, stirring constantly for about 1 minute, scraping up any brown bits from pan. Add stock, lemon juice, artichokes and capers. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to medium high and simmer for about 3 minutes, until sauce thickens. Add chicken back to pan and continue to simmer for an additional 2 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper.

BB: Birthday Sheet Cake

This month, we had two cake recipes for Barefoot Bloggers. I was happy to make Beatty's Chocolate cake and share it with friends, but I didn't have an occasion for the other recipe, Birthday Sheet cake. I decided to take the recipe and try to make a clean version. It was quite a challenge, as I had to switch out butter, flour, eggs, and sugar - all the things that make cake great! Armed with knowledge I've picked up from reading Clean Eating Magazine, I set out to twist this recipe and make some clean cupcakes. (I should note that I have no idea if cornstarch is clean or not, but I kept that ingredient in the recipe).

In my first attempt, I used whole wheat pastry flour to replace the white flour, and sucanat to replace the sugar. The results were delicious, but nowhere near a white cake. The sucanat is closed to brown sugar than white, so it imparted a nice molasses flavor to the cake. I think my baking soda was a little old, causing a failure to rise properly. I blended some cream cheese, agave nectar, and lemon zest together for an impromptu frosting and it was fantastic! The recipe ended up being a start to a great carrot or apple spice cake - so I can't wait to experiment further!

For my second attempt, I set out to try and correct the recipe by switching to spelt flour and agave nectar for a lighter flavor. I got a little confusing in the grocery store, since it was my first time buying spelt flour. I got what was labeled as spelt flour, and probably should have gotten white spelt flour. The regular spelt flour looks a lot like the whole wheat pastry flour, but I was trying to go for something lighter than that. Maybe next time I'll get the white spelt flour and see how the cupcakes turn out then! Using agave nectar has it's own complications, since it's a liquid about the consistency of thin honey. To compensate, I needed to increase the amount of dry ingredients by I'm-not-sure-how-much. Luckily, my first attempt at making cupcakes with agave nectar turned out great! Armed with new baking soda, my cupcakes had gorgeous high domes. I tried a few different levels of batter in the muffin tin, and ultimately preferred the ones that were 2/3 full. Like others that made the original recipe, these are very dense cupcakes.

I wasn't sure what kind of frosting to make for these. My original vision was to use a chocolate cream cheese frosting that I'd seen in Clean Eating Magazine, but in tasting the cupcakes, that just didn't seem right. Then I tried a peanut butter cream cheese, but that wasn't right either. I ended up using the same simple frosting I'd made for the first batch of cupcakes, and it was a perfect, light complement to the dense cake.

If you aren't as crazy as I am, and want a normal sheet cake, see the recipe here, and see how the other Barefoot Bloggers fared with the recipe, here. Otherwise....

My-First-Attempt-At-A-Clean-Cupcake
Makes 12 cupcakes

• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1/2 cup agave nectar
• 3 egg whites
• 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
• 2 ounces greek yogurt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cup spelt flour
  
• 1 3/4 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/3 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1. Add oil, agave nectar, egg white, flaxseed, yogurt, and vanilla extract in a medium bowl. Stir to combine.
2. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, salt and baking soda. Whisk to combine.
3. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, combine thoroughly.
4. Line muffin tin with cupcake liners. Fill liners 2/3 full with cupcake batter. Bake at 350 for 18-24 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool a few minutes in the pan, then remove and cool on a wire rack before frosting.

Simple Cream Cheese Icing

• 8 ounces low fat cream cheese, softened
  
• 8 teaspoons agave nectar
• 1 tsp lemon zest

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and beat until smooth. Spread on cooled cupcakes.

Nutritional Information:
(Per cupcake, assumes 1 batch of frosting spread equally between 12 cupcakes)
Calories: 220
Fat: 7.1 g
Sat Fat: 3.1 g
Cholesterol: 13.6 mg
Sodium: 183 mg
Potassium: 83 mg
Carbohydrate: 34.4 g
Fiber: 3.3 g
Sugar: 20 g
Protein: 4.8 g

BB: Beatty's Chocolate Cake

This week for Barefoot Bloggers we had the second of two cakes. I made this earlier in the month for a party to honor a friend who is getting married. Since she loves chocolate and this cake was on my To Do list for the month, I thought it would be a great fit for this special occasion.

As I started making the cake, I was pleased to see it was one of the easy recipes... combine dry ingredients in one bowl, wet in the other, them mix together. To me, nothing is worse than having to add each ingredient one at a time to a whirring stand mixer. I love easy. At the end, as I added the coffee, I realize that this was quite similar to my favorite chocolate cake recipe, Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Cake (which I used here for S'mores Cupcakes). A quick look at the two recipes shows that they are nearly identical! Slight variations in baking soda, baking powder, vanilla extract and the use of hot coffee or hot water are all that separate these two recipes.

I made 1.5 times the original recipe because I have 9 inch cake pans and hate having flat cakes. I divided the batter between those two pans, but it proved to be too much batter as the cake rise quite a bit. Mine collapsed a little in the center, so I should have reserved some of that batter for cupcakes.

Ultimately, I loved the lift that these cakes had, but love the ease of using regular milk and water in the Hershey's recipe. I'll probably tweak the two recipes together the next time I need chocolate cake. Both recipes make truly fantastic, moist, rich, chocolatey cake. The frosting was very easy to work with, spread smoothly (even with my poor decorating skills) and was a good amount of chocolate and sweet.

I topped the cake with lazy chocolate covered strawberries and white chocolate shavings. Everyone loved it!

Beatty’s Chocolate Cake
Source: Barefoot Contessa at Home on pages 165-166
Chosen by Mary of Passionate Perseverance

• Butter, for greasing the pans
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
• 2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cups good cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup buttermilk, shaken
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 2 (8-inch) round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.


Chocolate Frosting:

• 6 ounces good semisweet chocolate (recommended: Callebaut)
• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 extra-large egg yolk, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1 tablespoon instant coffee powder

Chop the chocolate and place it in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until just melted and set aside until cooled to room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and continue beating for 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to low, gradually add the confectioners' sugar, then beat at medium speed, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy. Dissolve the coffee powder in 2 teaspoons of the hottest tap water. On low speed, add the chocolate and coffee to the butter mixture and mix until blended. Don't whip! Spread immediately on the cooled cake.

Cilantro Ginger Tilapia

Tilapia is one of the few fish we agree on in this house. Since we eat so much chicken, (and now even more so with our love for chicken at breakfast!) I'm trying to make more of an effort to choose fish at least once on the weekends. I had already decided on making quinoa with an avocado dressing, so I did some searching for flavors I wanted to use and found this recipe from Martha Stewart.

The sauce is fantastic, and not at all spicy... it complements the delicate fish well. I loved how easy it was to prepare - blend, baste, and grill!

Cilantro Ginger Tilapia
Slightly Adapted from Martha Stewart

• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• 1 small jalapeno pepper, seeds and white pith removed
  
• 1 piece fresh ginger (1 inch), peeled and roughly chopped
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (2 limes)
• 1 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tilapia fillets (4-6 ounces each)

Directions

1. Combine garlic, jalapeno pepper, ginger, lime juice, and cilantro in the jar of a blender. Cover blender, and remove the stopper. Turn on blender, and slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Process until mixture is bright green and smooth. Season cilantro sauce to taste with salt and black pepper.
2. Season both sides of fillets with salt and black pepper. Brush the top of each fillet with 1 tablespoon cilantro sauce.
3. Heat a skillet or grill pan over medium-low heat. Spray with olive oil and allow oil to heat up. Place tilapia in pan, grill until fish has just cooked through but is still moist, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove fish from pan, drizzle with additional cilantro sauce, and serve.

Quinoa with Zucchini and Avocado Dressing

This is another great way to prepare quinoa. I decided to use it as a side dish with some tilapia, so I made a few modifications to the recipe. This went very well with the fish, and the avocado dressing is delicious!

Quinoa with Zucchini and Avocado Dressing
Adapted from Branny Boils Over

• 1/3 cup quinoa, prewashed or rinsed very well
• 2/3 cup low sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 medium zucchini, sliced into 1/4 inch thick half moons
  
• 1/2 medium yellow squash, sliced into 1/4 inch thick half moons
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 1/4 cup mexican cheese (queso) (omit the cheese or choose low fat for a cleaner side dish)
  
• 1/3 cup avocado dressing (recipe follows)
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
  
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
  

Combine quinoa and chicken broth in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer 10-15 minutes, until quinoa is translucent. Meanwhile, spray zucchini and squash with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill 5 minutes on each side, until tender.

Combine cooked quinoa and squashes, nuts, cheese, cilantro, and 1/3 cup avocado dressing in a large bowl. Toss to combine, then serve.

Avocado Dressing
Makes about 1.5 cups

1 large avocado, ripe
1 T lemon or lime juice
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup greek yogurt
3/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

Puree all ingredients together.

Herbed Balsamic Chicken

With a few more desperate attempts at using our great grilling weather before the cold sets in, I pulled this recipe from the depths of my Google Reader. It sounded fabulous... balsamic vinegar and Herbs de Provence? What's not to love?

This was very easy to throw together, but I didn't have high expectations because I seem to have trouble getting marinades to really stick to the meat and stay on for the grilling process. Needless to say, it's disappointing to feel like you are leaving all the good flavor behind in the bowl. When my husband pulled these off the grill I was ecstatic to see how great they looked! Definitely no loss of flavor here. This recipe really delivers - one bite and I was pouring over my menu to figure out when I could make it again. We loved it! I paired this chicken with simple grilled eggplant for a great dinner.

Herbed Balsamic Chicken
Source: Adapted from Bon Apétit, June 2009, seen on Cook Like a Champion

• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
-In a small bowl, whisk together the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
-Place chicken in a resealable bag and pour marinade on top. Refrigerate for at least two hours, turning the bag occasionally.
-Preheat a grill pan to medium-high heat and add chicken.
-Sprinkle with herbes de Provence, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
-Grill until chicken is cooked through, about 6 minutes per side.


Simple Grilled Eggplant

1 medium eggplant
kosher salt
olive oil
pepper
garlic powder

Slice the top and bottom off of eggplant. Slice eggplant into 1/4 inch thick slices. Place a layer of paper towels down on counter or cutting board. Lay eggplant slices on paper towel, generously salt both sides of eggplant. Cover with more papertowels, then another cutting board or cookie sheet. Place something heavy (book, etc) on top of the stack to weight it down. Let sit for 30 minutes, then rinse eggplant slices.

Spray both sides with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Lay slices on heated grill for about 10 minutes per side.

Southwestern Chicken Pizza with Tomatillo Salsa

With my new whole wheat pizza dough in hand, I was off to make some fabulous homemade pizza. I'd been (patiently) waiting to make this recipe from Domestic Pursuits, and it was totally worth making... much sooner than I did. This pizza was fantastic. The tomatillo sauce totally stole the show - it's great! I added some black beans because I needed to use them up, and I think they were a great addition.

Southwestern Chicken Pizza with Tomatillo Salsa
Source: Adapted slightly from Domestic Pursuits

• Pizza dough
• Corn meal
• Olive oil
• 1/2 large sweet onion, sliced thin
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup tomatillo salsa (recipe below)
• 1 grilled seasoned chicken breast, chopped
• 1/3 cup canned black beans, rinsed well
  
• 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese
• 2-4 tbsp chopped, fresh cilantro

1. Preheat oven (as high as it will go) or grill with pizza stone.
2. In a saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Saute onions for 7-10 minutes or until soft and translucent.
3. Meanwhile, stretch dough by hand or roll it out on a lightly floured surface.
4. When pizza stone and oven are ready, remove stove from oven, or open up grill. Sprinkle pizza stone liberally with cornmeal. Place stretched dough on top of cornmeal-covered stone.
5. Spread tomatillo salsa over the dough, then distribute chopped chicken and sauteed onions evenly over the salsa. Top with shredded cheese.
6. Grill or bake for 8-10 minutes (for thin crust) until crust is golden and slightly crispy. Thicker crusts will require more time. Remove pizza from stone and allow stone to cool on the grill or in oven. Sprinkle chopped cilantro onto finished pizza, slice, and serve.

Tomatillo Salsa
Source: Domestic Pursuits

• 1 pound tomatillos, husk and stem removed
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
• 1 tbsp lime juice (juice of 1/2 lime)

1. Place husked, washed tomatillos in a saucepan. Fill the pan with enough water to cover the tomatillos and bring to a boil over high heat.
2. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until tomatillos are soft.
3. Transfer tomatillos to the work bowl of a food processor. Reserve cooking water in case additional water is needed to thin the salsa.
4. Add remaining ingredients onion, garlic, jalapeno, cilantro, oregano, cumin and salt) and process until smooth. If salsa is too thick, add small amounts of cooking water until desired consistency is reached.