Summer in DC and Fresh Summer Pasta with Lemon, Chicken and Peas

June 8, 2014 by Mackenzie

What a wild last 2 1/2 months I have had… I think my last recipe post was back during spring break, which is pathetic considering that was back in mid-March. Although I had every intention to continue blogging through the end of the school year, as it seems to happen, school, work, golf and whatever small social life I had got in the way of cooking and writing. As soon as my finals were over, I took off to Madagascar for almost a month! You can read all about my trip here.

I came back from Madagascar, packed up my apartment in St. Louis and moved to DC! I’m interning for Senator Maria Cantwell this summer and am so thrilled to have the opportunity to experience the ins and outs of politics, the bustle of DC in the summer, and have some time to myself to read, write and cook!. I’m living in a house near the Capitol with several other young adults and am looking forward to everything this summer will bring.

Although I have a big kitchen, it’s not exactly fully-stocked with my usual cooking gadgets. Yes, I know I’m spoiled in St. Louis to have an ice cream maker, a crock-pot, a waffle maker, a food processor, and the likes… But this kitchen doesn’t even have a cheese grater! (Found that out while I was in the middle of making this recipe ha!) I also don’t want to buy too many ingredients – spices, oils and such – because I’m only here for ten weeks and will have to fly everything back home. So my recipes are going to be simple this summer. Easy, simple, healthy recipes are what you’ll see in the coming weeks!

And to start – I’m sharing this simple, fresh summer pasta. I made it last week after work – and find it perfect for the hot summer days out here. The lemon juice serves as the main punch of flavor and also as any semblence of a sauce (lemon juice, water and some butter serve as the sauce – so it’s light, fresh, flavorful and incredibly easy to make!) I’ve enjoyed it both hot and cold – hope you enjoy!

Fresh Summer Pasta with Lemon, Chicken and Peas
Recipe adapted from PureWow
Serves 6

1 lb spaghetti noodles
2-3 cups fresh or frozen peas
1 bag fully-cooked chicken strips
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese + more to serve
Juice of one lemon
Salt
2-3 tablespoons freshly chopped mint
Zest of one lemon

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta to al dente, according to package directions. About a minute or two before the pasta is done, add the peas. While pasta is cooking, heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and a few pinches of italian seasoning spice and saute for 4-5 minutes.

2. When the pasta is done, ladle out one cup of the liquid and set aside. Drain the remaining liqud through a colander and return the pasta to the pot. Add the heated chicken, butter, grated cheese, and salt to taste. Toss to combine and then add the reserved liquid and the lemon juice. Toss to coat. Add the mint and lemon zest, toss it to combine one last time and serve immediately.

Leftovers can be eaten hot or cold – it’s delicious both ways!

Sautéed Sweet Potatoes with Lemon-Parsley Gremolata

March 29, 2014 by Mackenzie

Sometimes, it’s the accidents that turn out the best.

I was making Sweet Potato Gremolata from the Cook Fresh magazine but I wasn’t paying super close attention and I was cooking these brussels sprouts at the same time. It got to the point where I had totally lost track of how long I had been sauteing the sweet potatoes, I had no idea what quantities I was adding and I was just doing my own thing at that point. I was annoyed because I had been looking forward to makign this recipe but alas, it was not meant to be.

Well – lo and behold. Whatever I ended up with turned out fantastic! The sweet potato skins caramelized making them crunchy and sweet, the pine nuts became fragrant and intense because they had been in there for so long and the sweet potatoes themselves were punctuated with flavor! They were sweet without adding any brown sugar or honey and a bit tangy with the lemon zest! Wow – slight crunch on the outside but soft and savory on the inside.

When I sat down to eat it I quickly wrote out what I remembered doing differently and then made it again last week with those changes – again, fantastic! This is something super easy, yet super flavorful that I’ll be making all the time!

Sautéed Sweet Potatoes with Lemon-Parsley Gremolata
Recipe adapted from Cook Fresh Winter 2014 Magazine
Serves 4

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 lbs sweet potatoes, washed and cut into 1/2-inch dice (about five cups)
Salt and fresh ground pepper
2 tablespoons pine nuts
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped parsley
1 garlic clove, chopped
Zest of one lemon

Directions:

1. Heat oil and butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. When butter has melted, add the potatoes in an even layer, stirring so all sides are coated in oil mixture. Season generously with salt and pepper. Cook for 10 minutes over medium heat, shaking pan occasionally, until the potatoes just start to brown underneath. Toss the potatoes gently, reduce heat to low and continue cooking for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are soft, easily pierced with a fork and slightly crispy (this is the key part of my “genius accident”!)

2. With five minutes or so left for the potatoes to cook, add the pine nuts to the skillet and toss gently.

3. Mince the parsley and garlic and zest the lemon. Add to the fully cooked sweet potatoes, toss for a moment or two and transfer to a serving bowl. Serve immediately.

(I let them cook too long on some sides so those caramelized while the insides just cooked. Feel free to make that genius mixtake!)

Turkey and Sweet Onion Pitas with Orange-Cucumber Salad

March 16, 2014 by Mackenzie

There’s so many things I love about this dish – the sweet taste of the ground turkey, with the cinnamon, is so unique but it pairs excellently with the citrusy tang of the orange-cucumber salad. It’s healthy, with all the ingredients (except the pita) complying to the “real foods” challenge that I did last summer. One day this week I just mixed the salad into the meat and ate it without a pita – I also thought about making it into an omelete… Once it’s prepared it’s so versatile!

It’s also fast and easy to prepare and keeps well if you want to have an easily prepared meal on hand all week. I put the turkey/onion mixture in one tupperware and the salad in another and then just toasted a pita and warmed up the meat everytime I was ready to have it again. I also threw the salad on top of some spinach and served it with some sweet potatoes (next post!) for another meal. That was excellent as well – all in all, I know I will be making this often!

Comment below if you try it! I would love to hear what you think!

Turkey and Sweet Onion Pitas with Orange-Cucumber Salad
Recipe adapted from Cook Fresh Winter 2014 Magazine
Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large sweet onion, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/4-inch thick
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lb ground turkey
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 large oranges
1 small cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped mint
4 pita pockets, halved and lightly toasted (if you have big pita pockets than you’ll just need 2)
Plain Greek yogurt

Directions:

1. In a 12-inch skillet, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of the oil over medium heat. Add three quarters of the onion, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally until golden brown, 8-10 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the onion to a small bowl and set aside.

2. Add the turkey, cinnamon, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to the skillet, and cook, breaking up the meat and stirring occasionally. Cook for 5-7 minutes, until cooked through. Drain well. Add the onions back in, tossing to combine.

3. Meanwhile, finely chop the remaining raw onion and transfer to a large bowl. Peel the oranges and cut the slices into bite-sized chunks, making sure to catch the juice. Add the oranges, orange juice, cucumber, vinegar, mint, and remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the large bowl; toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Fill the pitas with the turkey/onion mixture and add some of the orange-cucumber salad. Finish it off with a dollop of Greek yogurt and serve with the remaining salad on the side.

Edamame Quinoa Salad

September 12, 2013 by Mackenzie

I love this salad because of the flavors, the textures and the colors! It’s easy to throw together and is a perfect side-dish for just about anything.

Edamame Quinoa Salad

Recipe Type: Salad, Side Dish, Lunch

Author: Mackenzie

Serves: 5 servings

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup cooked, cooled quinoa
16 oz frozen, shelled, edamame
1 1/4 cup frozen corn
2 green onions, sliced
1 red bell pepper, diced
Several tablespoons roughly chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Dash of cayene

Instructions

Prepare quinoa if you haven’t already. Let cool.
In a medium saucepan, bring about three cups of water to a boil. Add the edamame and corn and boil for about 3-4 minutes – just until tender. Drain and cool completely.
In a large bowl, combine the cooled edamame, corn and quinoa and the green onion, red pepper and cilantro.
In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, lime juice, salt and spices until well combined. Drizzle over the salad and toss to coat.
Best when served chilled.

Recipe adapted from RealHouseMoms

Southwestern Black Bean and Grilled Chicken Salad

September 2, 2013 by Mackenzie

Okay, this salad is so good that I ate it for dinner one night, and then lunch and dinner the next day. Ha! Fine, I’ll admit that I was going out of town the following day so needed to get rid of it and I had nothing else to eat. But… I still really enjoyed it every single time and look forward to making it again!

I love that this salad has a southwestern flare, but isn’t overloaded like a taco salad is. It’s perfect for late summer with the refreshing cherry tomatoes and vibrant colors from the avocado and tomatoes. I adjusted the original recipe to make it “clean-eating” complaint and I don’t think you’d ever notice the changes! It is a bit more time consuming than your average salad – but it’s easily filling enough for a main dish so it’s worth the extra effort!

Southwestern Black Bean, Tomato, and Grilled Chicken Salad
Serves 3
Recipe adapted just slightly from CookFresh Magazine 2011

Ingredients:
2 organic, boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt
2 teaspoons maple syrup
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 lime
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons honey
Freshly ground black pepper
1 can black beans
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 large scallion, thinly sliced
1 package of pre-washed romaine lettuce, chopped
2 medium firm-ripe avocados

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, combine the chili powder, coriander, cumin, 3/4 teaspoons salt and maple syrup. Then, cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise, creating four thin, chicken cutlets. Rub both sides of the chicken with the spice mix. You can cook the chicken either by grilling it or in a skillet (I’ve done it both ways, since I don’t have a grill at school). If you’re grilling it, heat grill to medium-high heat and grill chicken for three minutes on top side and about two minutes on bottom side. If you are cooking it in a skillet, head some olive oil in a medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat and cook, flipping occasionally until done, about ten minutes.

2. While the chicken cooks, prepare the dressing. In a glass jar with a lid (if you don’t have one, a small bowl works fine too), combine the olive oil, lime juice, 1 tablespoon of the cilantro, the honey, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Whisk or shake well to combine. (I’ve found this makes extra dressing so I do it in a glass jar so I can save the extras for another salad!)

3. In a separate bowl, combine the black beans, tomatoes, scallion and remaining 2 teaspoons of cilantro and a pinch of salt. Add about 2 tablespoons of the dressing and toss gently.

4. In a large bowl or on a serving platter, toss the lettuce with a little bit of the dressing to lightly coat. Slice the chicken breast very thinly and pit and slice the avocado. Arrange the chicken, avocado and black bean/tomato mixture over the lettuce. Drizzle more dressing over salad if desired.

Avocado Chicken Salad

August 28, 2013 by Mackenzie

This recipe has been one of my go-tos all summer – I’ve probably made it at least five times in the last month! It’s super easy, super fast, summery, and made with all “real food.” Can’t get any better than that!

This recipe is great because you can scale it up or down very easily depending on how many people you are feeding or how much leftovers you want to have. I go with a 1:1 ratio of avocado to chicken breast and usually do half a chicken breast per serving. It’s also a great recipe because of how versatile it is – you can eat it hot or cold, plain, in a wrap, in a sandwich… I’ve tried it all these ways – and loved it each time!

Avocado Chicken Salad
Serves 2 (easily scaled up or down)
Recipe from Gina’s Favorites

Ingredients:
1 organic, boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 tablespoons coconut oil (or olive oil)
1 avocado
1/4 red onion, chopped
Juice of 1/2 a lime
2 tablespoons cilantro
Salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Dice chicken into 2-inch pieces (doesn’t have to be exact, you’ll shred it later). Heat the coconut oil in a medium-sized skilled over medium heat. Add the chicken, sprinkle some salt and pepper of it and begin to cook it. When the chicken is almost done, add the red onion and let them soften. Take a wooden spatula or a fork and shred the chicken into smaller pieces. Cook the chicken and onion together until the chicken is cooked through.

2. In a medium bowl, mash the avocado. Add the chicken and onions, the lime juice, cilantro and salt and pepper to taste. Mix it all together and enjoy! Keeps well for up to two days in the fridge.

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