POLLO CON RICOTTA… Grilled Chicken Stuffed with Ricotta and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

When I was going through the first few weeks of college and meeting many new people, I was often asked at lunch or dinner get-togethers if I was a vegetarian. I am not, by any means, a vegetarian, however I do like to eat healthily if I can and most of the healthiest food in a college dining hall is vegetarian or vegan. I don’t have anything against vegetarianism, of course, I just could never be one. Why?

Easy – I like chicken too much.

I love chicken in almost any way one could make it. Tonight, I tried my hand at an original recipe of mine – Grilled Chicken Stuffed with Ricotta and Sun-Dried Tomatoes. I have to say, it came out very tasty and super satisfying to have simply with bread on the side (good, sun-dried tomato bread from the FANTASTIC Rockland Bakery, might I add!). I think the ricotta kept the chicken very moist and all the flavors of the sweet sun-dried tomatoes and the earthy herbs just melded together to create a symphony of tasty goodness! The chicken was tender and the creamy filling balanced the meal incredibly well.

Grilled Chicken Stuffed with Ricotta and Sun-Dried Tomatoes (serves 2)

Ingredients:

Filling

3/4 cup water, boiling

1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes (not packed in oil)

1/4 cup ricotta

1/4 cup black olives, chopped

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon basil

1 teaspoon minced garlic

Chicken

2 grilled chicken breasts, thawed

lemon juice

oregano

basil

thyme

sage

parsley

red pepper flakes

salt

pepper

Preparations:

1. Place sun-dried tomatoes in boiling water and remove from flame. Let sit for about 5 minutes, or until slightly soft.

2. Meanwhile in a small bowl, mix ricotta, olives, oregano, basil, and minced garlic until incorporated.

3. Drain tomatoes and cut into small strips. Mix tomato strips into ricotta mixture thoroughly.

4. Now, take chicken breasts and slice a pocket into the thickest part of the breast. Divide ricotta filling evenly between the two chicken breast pockets, filling in the pocket with the mixture using a spoon or your hands (I found using my hands to be much easier – I could manipulate the filling and the chicken much more easily).

5. Once filled, season the chicken breast with a squeeze of lemon juice each. Sprinkle each breast with listed herbs and spices.

6. Place the breasts on a preheated, nonstick (or sprayed) grill and cook for 15 minutes, flipping once half of the time has elapsed. Serve immediately.

CENA E PANE DOLCE… Black Bean Burgers and Vegan Pumpkin Walnut Bread

I’ve got dinner AND dessert for you all tonight! Tonight I revisited a recipe for black bean burgers I made earlier this month, but neglected to post (sorry! forgive me!). Needless to say, in a bigger kitchen with more utensils and an array of spices, these burgers came out much better (and much more burger-like in appearance) than the first attempt. This entire dish is a medley of a few fun things, all of which I love love love – Black Bean Burgers with Garlic Baked Sweet Potato Fries!

Let’s start with the black bean burgers. Like I said, this is my second attempt at them and I’m very happy with these results. Probably the biggest difference noticed this time was the effect bread crumbs had on the physical formation and shape of the burgers. Previously, I only had flour to use with the recipe’s one egg to form the patties. That didn’t work out well, because I ended up using too much flour on the outside of the patties to make them form, turning the apartment’s kitchen into a big, gooey, black bean-y mess. Phrase of the day for black bean burgers – “Thank GOD for Panko!” I love Panko bread crumbs – they work so well in this recipe to help the burgers hold their shape, without being too conspicuous. They purely work with the egg and the beans to form nice looking patties.

Next, the sweet potatoes. I love sweet potatoes so so much! They have a fantastic flavor and can work well in so many forms – one of my favorite forms being fries. These fries I seasoned with a mix of salt and pepper, paprika, parsley, and LOTS of minced garlic. I have come to realize how much of a garlic-lover I really am. I could put it (and red pepper flakes!) on pretty much anything 🙂

The spinach was a green addition to the meal – quick, simple and delicious. Just saute in a bit of olive oil with garlic and red pepper flakes (what I think I will call, the Golden Combo) and feast!

Black Bean Burgers (serves 2)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon coriander

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

salt and pepper

1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 egg

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

olive oil

Preparations:

1. Saute onion in 1 tablespoon of olive oil until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

2. In food processor with knife blade attached, pulse bread crumbs, spices, two-thirds of beans, salt and pepper until well blended. Transfer to large bowl and mix in egg. Stir in sauted onion and remaining whole beans until well combined. Divide into 2 portions and shape into patties.

3. Lightly coat 12-inch nonstick skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Heat on medium 1 minute, then add patties. Cook 10 to 12 minutes or until browned on both sides, carefully turning once.

Garlic Baked Sweet Potato Fries (serves 2)

Ingredients:

1 sweet potato, cut into strips

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon paprika

2 teaspoons minced garlic

salt and pepper

Preparations:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a cooking sheet with nonstick spray.

2. Place strips of sweet potato into a bowl and drizzle olive oil to coat. Mix strips so all are lightly coated with oil

3. In a separate dish, mix paprika, minced garlic, salt and pepper to create the seasoning. Dip each sweet potato strip in coating and set on sprayed cooking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes on each side, flipping once.

Sounds yummy, right? Well, you haven’t seen the last of it yet! We haven’t even gotten to dessert – Vegan Pumpkin Walnut Bread adapted from Joy the Baker.

I had been wanting to try this recipe since the minute I saw it on Joy’s blog. I love pumpkin and there’s something about a good spice bread loaf that I just can’t resist! The only changes I made to this recipe was to cut it in half (I only made one loaf, whereas the recipe originally makes 2), and I used applesauce instead of vegetable oil to cut out the fat.

This loaf came out so moist and luscious. It’s dense, but not too dense, and has a great, married taste of pumpkin and spices. The walnuts add a nice crunch to an otherwise smooth loaf as well – a definite keeper recipe 🙂

You can find the full recipe for Vegan Pumpkin Walnut Bread here!

HO CENATO… Mexicorn Frittata with Broccoli and Mozzarella

It’s dangerous to leave me alone in an apartment with a computer… do you know why? Well, one of two things could happen.

1. Lots of cooking and baking ideas could be concocted in my focused, little brain, ultimately bringing chaos to any kitchen I am close to.

2. Money, and lots of it, could be spent on food, clothing and other paraphernalia available through online shopping.

Luckily for my family, only the former happened to me today, hah. I literally spent most of my time today fiddling through recipes from some of my favorite food blogs, deciding what damage I’ll do next week in the cozy confines of my Daddy’s teeny kitchen in Framingham. If all goes my way, I’ll have some great photos and recipes to share next week 🙂 Sleep well this weekend, Little Kitchen, you’re in for a bumpy ride come Monday.

Dinner tonight was an adventure! I made a Mexicorn Frittata with Broccoli and Mozzarella. This recipe really used things left over from the week, with the only things I needed to buy being a small can of Green Giant Mexicorn (a mix of corn, red peppers and green peppers) and a few more eggs.

Frittatas in general are very nostalgic for me. My family makes them often, but not so often that I’ve become immune to their fun, unique tastes and textures. I love the simplicity of frittatas, and the fact that you cannot overcook eggs – you just have to make sure you don’t burn them while making something like a frittata. Also, depending on your personal taste, you can fill frittatas with whatever you like! So really, while frittatas themselves are very simple, the meal could be as complex as you’d like in the end, depending on the filling. We had left over broccoli florets from our Pasta Arruminata earlier this week, and a piece of Bel Gioioso mozzarella cheese I had bought for another dish but ended up not using.

The kicker for me in this recipe was the Mexicorn. I loved the sweetness the corn and peppers gave to the frittata, and combining that sweetness with the heat of the cooked eggs and the hidden saltiness of the black olives really sealed the deal for this meal.

Mexicorn Frittata with Broccoli and Mozzarella (serves 2-3)

Ingredients:

1/2 yellow onion

1 clove garlic

olive oil for sauteing

2 cups broccoli florets (chopped)

1/2 cup fresh mozzarella (cubed)

1/3 cup black olives (chopped)

1 11 oz. can Green Giant Mexicorn

6 eggs (2 full eggs, 4 egg whites)

5 basil leaves (sliced)

1 tablespoon parsley

1 tablespoon oregano

salt and pepper to taste

Preparations:

1. Saute onions and garlic in olive oil until light, golden brown. Take off heat and let sit for 3-4 minutes.

2. Combine broccoli, mozzarella, black olives and mexicorn in bowl to make the filling. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, egg whites, and salt and pepper together. Pour filling into eggs and mix thoroughly. Add basil, parley, and oregano and mix.

3. Drizzle heated skillet with olive oil. Pour frittata mixture into skillet, cover the skillet, and let cook for 10 minutes (until brown on bottom). Wiggle the skillet every so often to make sure the frittata doesn’t stick to the bottom of the skillet.

4. Once bottom is brown, flip frittata to cook other side – about 5-10 minutes. Repeat process of first side: wiggle the skillet every once in a while and keep your eye on the bottom of the frittata to see when it become brown.

5. Once cooked, slice frittata and serve immediately.

TIP: Covering the skillet while the frittata cooks on the first side will help cook the egg faster on both sides. It will also help cut the cooking time of the second side of the frittata once you flip it.

TIP: If you like your food spicy (like I do!), garnish the frittata with red pepper flakes right before serving.

HO CUCINATO… Couscous Salad with Herbs

Dinner tonight was a cold, grain dish – Couscous Salad with Herbs, adapted from a recipe from Old Fashioned Living. Other than pasta, the other grain ingredient my dad has on-hand in his apartment is couscous, which is a grain I absolutely love. It’s so versatile, you can make anything with it – side dishes, appetizers, main courses, whatever. A cold couscous salad was suggested to me so I went searching for recipes, found a very simple one and modified it to what I had available and to personal taste. I love the way this salad came out – it’s light, yet filling. I was worried at first that this wouldn’t be enough as the main course for dinner. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the serving size I made was plenty (and paired with a few small slices of aged Asiago cheese added a nice touch!). The textures of the couscous and the black beans worked well together, and the classic pairing of tomato and basil really amped up the dish. The various herbs gave the meal such a great aroma as well. This is a perfect, easy dish to make for picnics and parties, especially in the summertime because of its lightness.

Cold Couscous Salad with Herbs (serves 2-3)

Adapted from Old Fashioned Living

Ingredients:
3/4 cup dry couscous
1 cup boiling water
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 red or green bell pepper, diced
2 medium tomatoes, diced
2 tbsp. dried parsley, minced
1 tbsp. each fresh minced oregano and basil
1/2 large yellow onion, finely chopped

1/4 cup black olives, chopped
2 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp. olive oil
salt, pepper, to taste

Preparations:

In a large casserole dish combine the couscous and water then cover and allow it to stand for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and allow to cool until just warm. Mix remaining ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.