Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken

Andy and I were recently turned on to an amazing food blog, The Food Charlatan. The blogger is funny and amusing, but her food is like, "oh my heck" good. We've tried out a few of her recipes and I guess she must really like prosciutto and asparagus cause it's almost everything we've made...or maybe we just really like prosciutto and asparagus. But, really, who wouldn't?

We tried this prosciutto wrapped chicken a while back now, and it's become a favorite. It's all fresh and colorful and a flavor bomb in your mouth. For all her pretty pictures, you can check out her post here. Or you can just trust me that it's amazing. So amazing that we didn't waste time taking pictures. We just got down to the business of eating.

Ingredients

• 1 pound chicken breast, sliced thin (2-3 breasts)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons flour, or more
• 4-6 slices prosciutto (can substitute bacon to save $$)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 bunch asparagus
• 1/4 cup basil pesto
• 1/3 cup cream (I've also used plain or vanilla yogurt with a little water or milk in a pinch and you can't really tell one bit of difference)

Instructions

1. If the chicken breasts are thick, slit them in half lengthwise to make them thinner. Pat them dry with a paper towel, then sprinkle with salt and pepper if you want...I usually forget this step with no negative outcomes.
2. Rub the chicken with the flour. Wrap each piece of chicken with a piece of prosciutto (or bacon).
3. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil on medium. When it is hot, add the wrapped chicken. Cook for 5-6 minutes, then flip and cook for another 4-5 minutes or so, until nice and brown.
4. While the chicken is cooking, add about 3 inches of water to a small pot, cover, and put it on to boil. Wash the asparagus, snap off the ends, then cut the asparagus into approximately 2 inch pieces. Add to a steamer basket, and when the water in the pot is at a rolling boil, put the basket on top and cover. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until tender. Immediately rinse with cold water to stop the cooking and set it aside. (If you don't have a steamer, you can roast the asparagus in the oven for 5-10 minutes on 400, or saute it with some oil).
5. In a small bowl whisk together the pesto and cream (or yogurt). When the chicken is fully cooked, pour the mixture over the chicken, and add the asparagus. Bring the mixture to a boil, then turn off the heat. We love pairing this dish with our caveman vegetables. 

Low-Key Gnocchi

It's an amazing flavor burst:

Ingredients:

• Two cloves of garlic
• Olive oil
• Butter
• 5 Roma tomatoes (in half inch slices)
• Bundle of asparagus (cut in inch pieces)
• Cream cheese (half cup)
• 8 slices of bacon (broken up into half-inch flakes)
• Two pounds Gnocchi 
• Mozzarella (one cup, julienne)
• Juice from two lemons

Directions:

1. Cook the bacon and put to the side.  Helpful hint: the bacon cooks more evenly if the skillet is covered.
2. Slice the garlic and put over medium heat in three spoons of olive oil in a pot.  
3. When the garlic begins to brown pour in the asparagus and tomatoes; cover the pot.  
4. While the vegetables are simmering, heat another skillet and put two spoons of olive oil and a table spoon of butter.
5. When the butter is melted, place the gnocchi in.  Cook until golden on one side (3 minutes) and turn over the gnocchi to brown the other side for three minutes.  
6. When the tomatoes have barely wrinkled, stir in the cream cheese and lemon juice and remove from heat.  
7. Pour the cooked gnocchi into the vegetable sauce and stir so that the gnocchi is coated with the sauce.
8. Just before serving, mix in mozzarella and bacon flakes.  
9. It's delicious.  

Buttermilk Syrup

Did you know, waffles and pancakes can be even better?  I didn't either.

If your relationship is troubled, this might be your best bet to turn things around.  That, or a sincere apology and a bouquet of flowers.

Ingredients:

• Sugar (one cup)
• Butter (one cup)
• Buttermilk (half cup)
• baking soda (1 teaspoon)
• vanilla (1 teaspoon)

Directions:

1. Melt 1 cup of sugar, 1 cube of butter, over low heat
2. Stir in half a cup of buttermilk.
3. When it just begins to boil, take it off the heat 
4. Finally add 1 teaspoon of baking soda and 1 teaspoon vanilla.

This makes an amazing Saturday morning before you get to errands and cleaning. Great on waffles with strawberries and peaches.  

Easy Packed Lunch

I'm really busy during the day and eating out is expensive, but if I don't eat a full meal I just go kaput. I figured out a way to get all my food groups into one tupperware while being really good.  And it's  quick to throw together.

It's actually really good

Ingredients

• Farro (three-fourths cup, dry)
• Trader Joe's chicken tenderloins (two tenders)
• Baby spinach (handfull) 
• rinsed red grapes (one cup)
• Feta cheese (3 tablespoons)
• Salt and pepper
• Vinegar and oil
• Spring onion (3 shoots, sliced; optional but kicks it up) 

Directions

1. Bring a cup and a half of water to boil with a pinch of salt.  Once boiling, pour in the barley and let it simmer.  There are two kinds of barley--normal barley takes 40 minutes to cook.  You can also get pre-cooked barley that only takes 10 minutes; you can get this from Trader Joe's.  Pour the cooked barley into the bottom of the tupperware.  Pepper the barley.
2. Put the chicken tenders over the barley.
3. Place the spinach over the chicken, grapes over the spinach, and feta over the spinach. 
4. Season with vinegar and oil.  

Feeds just one...

Nutrition 

This lunch has it all: it's got grains, protein, lipids, vegetables, fruit, and dairy.  Everything is good and good for you. 

Budget

If you buy one bag of chicken, one carton of grapes, one bag of baby spinach, one block of feta, and two bags of barley, that would make 5 lunches. 


Chicken: $8
Grapes: $3
Spinach: $1.50
Feta: $2.5
Barley: $4.5
Per-lunch total: $4.10, not bad

Power Salad!

We made this salad the other night and it was so good and healthy! We ate it on its own, but I was thinking it could also be really good if you put some in a tortilla with some mozzarella and grilled it all together! enjoy!  Love you all! 

Ingredients

• 1 cup dry quinoa
• 2 medium avocados
• 3 oz. baby spinach
• 8 oz. cherry tomatoes
• 3 green onions

For the dressing

• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced (I would go easy on the garlic, especially if you're going to put it in the fridge and eat it the next day! the garlic flavor comes out more and more as it sits) 
• 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar 
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/8 tsp. salt 
• (Could be really good to squeeze a lemon in there too!)

Directions

1. Cook the quinoa according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, make the dressing: in a small bowl whisk together ingredients and set aside.
3. Roughly chop the spinach and place in a large bowl.
4. Slice the green onions, halve the cherry tomatoes, and dice the avocado.
5. When quinoa is done cooking, add it to the large bowl with spinach and toss. The heat from the quinoa will lightly wilt the spinach.
6. Add the green onions, tomatoes, and dressing. Stir to combine.
7. Add the avocado and lightly toss.
8. Serve immediately or refrigerate to let flavors blend more.

Cuban Sandwiches

Okay, so this isn't exactly healthy...or thrifty.  But it tastes---mmm---so good.  And memories are better than money, right?

Ingredients

• Whole-grain mustard
• Swiss cheese, sliced
• Dill pickles, sliced
• Boiled ham and peppered salami
• Cuban pork (recipe here)
• Cuban bread roll (or ciabatta or baguette) sliced in six-inch increments
• Melted butter (don't tell whoever you are serving, it just spoils the whole thing really)

Directions

1. Slice the pork into fourth-inch cuts, across the grain.  
2. Fry the ham (without oil or butter) on the stove over medium heat for about one minute or until the ham is spotted brown.  
3. Butter the bread where the sandwich fixings will go and fry for about a minute or until they are golden-crispy.  
4. Spread mustard on both pieces of bread.
5. Place the pork, ham, salami, pickle, and swiss in between the roll halves.
6. Butter the top and bottom and fry the sandwich over low for 2 minutes, then turn the sandwich over.  The cheese should begin to melt.
7. Voila.  Done.  

Feeds 6-8 adults!

Cuban Pork

So…we watched Chef which is a movie with and by Jon Favreau and Scarlett Johansson.  The whole time he's making this food that's like--I'm not hungry but I do want that.  He makes this pork shoulder for cuban sandwiches which is my other post this week.  The pork tastes like nothing I've had before:

Ingredients

• Fresh-squeezed lime juice (half cup)
• Fresh-squeezed orange juice (one cup)
• Orange zest (one tablespoon)
• Cilantro (one cup, packed)
• Garlic (8 cloves)
• Olive oil (half cup)
• Minced oregano (one tablespoon)
• Ground coriander (one tablespoon)
• Ground pepper (one tablespoon)
• Salt (one teaspoon)
• Pork shoulder or tenderloin (2 pounds)

Feeds 6-8 adults!

Directions

1. Put the lime juice, garlic, and cilantro together in the blender and liquify until smooth. 
2. Whisk together the lime blend, orange juice, olive oil, oregano, coriander, salt and pepper.  
3. Place the tenderloin in the bowl. 
4. If the marinade does not cover the meat, put the lime and orange rinds around the meat to displace the marinade, covering the meat.
5. Cover the bowl (with plastic wrap or a lid) and let it sit overnight in the refrigerator.  
6. Pre-heat the oven to 225. Discard the marinade and place the pork on a cookie sheet.  Cook for 2 hours or until the center is 140 degrees F. 
7. Remove from the oven, let it stand for 30 minutes.  Cut and serve immediately.   

This is the pork swimming in marinade; smells awesome

Budget

• Limes $1.50
• Oranges $2
• Cilantro $1.60
• Garlic $1
• Pork tenderloin $10
• Spices: $0.50
• Olive oil: $0.50
• TOTAL: $16.80

Okay, so it's not super cheap. Damn.