I love meals like this ~ super easy to put together and delicious! The chicken becomes moist and tender as it bakes with the veggies and herbs… which becomes the sauce for your pasta. This dish is so wonderfully aromatic as it bakes, it fills the house with the woody scent of fresh rosemary and lets you know that a delicious dinner is about to be yours!

I’ve entered this dish/recipe in a contest in hopes to be the next featured chef on Plated!

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup Olive Oil
2 Chicken Breasts (I used boneless with skin on)
1 Red Tomato, cut into bite-size pieces
1 Yellow Tomato, cut into bite-size pieces
1/3 cup Kalamata Olives, or olive of your choice
10 large Capers (or 2 Tbsp of small Capers)
5 cloves of Garlic, sliced
2 fresh sprigs of Rosemary
3 or 4 fresh Basil sprigs
3 or 4 fresh Parsley sprigs
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Serve on top of Bow Tie Pasta (or pasta of your choice), cooked according to package directions
Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese, optional

METHOD
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Drizzle some olive oil in the bottom of your baking dish.
Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper, and place in the baking dish.
Place tomatoes, olives, capers, garlic, basil, parsley and rosemary evenly in the baking dish.
Drizzle generously with olive oil.
Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on top.
Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes.
In the last 15 minutes of cooking the chicken, cook your pasta.

To plate:
Place a generous spoonful or two of pasta on the plates.
Place a chicken breast in the center of each plate and top with the veggies, herbs and sauce.
Top with fresh grated Parmesan Cheese, if desired.
Enjoy!

Ok, I know that garlic potatoes don’t sound very exciting, but I promise you these potatoes are so incredibly delicious and creamy that once you’ve tried them they’re sure to become a favorite. Honestly, when I took my first bite I was excited ’cause I couldn’t believe that my simple recipe would turn out so amazing!!

I’ve always loved mashed potatoes, but along with a good mashed potato comes butter, cream and/or sour cream, and sometimes even cheese joins in. These garlic potatoes have all the flavor and more, but they’re super healthy. Check out the ingredient list below and you’ll see what I mean.

Makes 4 side servings

INGREDIENTS
5 to 6 large Red Skinned Potatoes
4 cloves of Garlic, diced small
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Tbsp fresh Parsley, finely chopped
2 Tbsp fresh Basil, finely chopped
1 tsp Salt
a couple grates of Fresh Black Pepper, to taste

METHOD
Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with water.
Boil on medium high heat until potatoes are fork tender.
Remove from heat and reserve potato water.
Leaving the skins on, rough cut the potatoes into large bite size pieces.
Place potatoes in a large bowl and gently stir in the garlic, olive oil, parsley, basil, salt and some black pepper to combine.
If you need more liquid, just add a couple spoonfuls of the potato water (rather than adding more olive oil).
Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, as desired.
Serve warm or room temperature.
Enjoy!

Hmmm… what to serve instead of a green salad at our BBQ tonight?? I had just bought a pound of mushrooms and decided to marinate half of them to create a savory marinated dish. The other half I’m saving for my husband’s favorite, Cream of Mushroom Soup. I also added a can of baby artichokes to the mushrooms and wow, it’s perfection! I love artichokes!!

In my recipe I call for 1/2 a teaspoon of Italian Seasoning. I always keep it in my spice collection and use it often. If you don’t have any, it’s a blend of Marjoram, Thyme, Rosemary, Savory, Sage, Oregano and Basil.

I hope you’ll give this super easy recipe a try. It comes together in just 5 minutes!

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
8 oz. whole White Mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
1 – 14 oz. can of whole small Artichokes, halved
1 Lemon, zested and juiced
2 Garlic cloves, sliced
1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

METHOD
Add half of the olive oil into a medium frying pan.
Add the mushrooms and saute them for about 3 minutes on low.
Remove from heat and add in the rest of the olive oil, artichokes, lemon zest and juice, garlic cloves, and Italian seasoning.
Stir gently and taste.
Adjust as needed with salt and black pepper.
Pour into a serving bowl and allow to cool.
Best served at room temperature.
Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS
For Chimichurri Sauce:
1 cup fresh parsley
4 cloves garlic
2 Tablespoons shallots, minced
1 Tablespoon dried oregano
3 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon
½ cup olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
crushed red pepper, to taste

For beef:
1 tri-tip
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon granulated garlic
olive oil

METHOD
For Chimichurri Sauce:

In a food processor pulse the parsley, garlic, shallots, oregano, white wine vinegar and lemon juice until combined.  Remove from food processor and place in a medium sized bowl.  Add the olive oil and mix.  Taste and season with salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper, to taste.

Note:  I don’t add the olive oil to the food processor because I don’t want the chimichurri sauce to have any emulsification of the oil.  It takes away from the vibrant appearance of the sauce.

For beef:
Spray stovetop grill with non-stick oil and preheat on medium.

Rub the tri-tip with paprika, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and olive oil.   Place on hot grill for about 15 minutes on each side, or until cooked to your liking.

Once cooked, allow meat to sit for about 10 to 15 minutes before carving it. Slice thin, against the grain. Serve topped with chimichurri sauce.

Enjoy!

This sauce is delicious with fish and seafood.  It’s actually wonderful with anything.  I love it with whole wheat pasta.  There’s something about the nuttiness of the pasta and the sauce that works for me.  Enjoy!!

INGREDIENTS
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1 teaspoon garlic, chopped
1/2 cup cilantro
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

METHOD
Place all the ingredients into a blender and blend for 5 seconds on high.

INGREDIENTS
1 Tablespoon white sugar
1 cup warm water
1 package active dry yeast (or 2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons butter, softened
2 Tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
3 cups bread flour
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 egg, beaten (optional)

METHOD
Dissolve the sugar in warm water in a medium bowl. Add the yeast and stir. When yeast is bubbly, add in the salt, butter, 1 tablespoon rosemary, and Italian seasoning. Mix in 2 cups of the flour. Gradually add remaining flour to form the dough, and knead for about 10 minutes.

Rub the inside of a large bowl with the olive oil. Place dough in the bowl and cover. Put in a warm location and allow to rise for 1 hour.

Punch down dough, and divide in half. Line a baking sheet with lightly greased parchment paper or you can use a silpat. Shape dough into 2 loaves, and place on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with remaining rosemary. Cover, and allow to rise 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

Halfway through the rising process be sure to preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Brush loaves with egg, if desired (this will create a pleasing color and shine effect). Bake for approximately 18 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.