Bruschetta Chicken

Christmas was last week, but I didn't realize how appropriate this red-and-green dinner was until just now!  Didn't plan it, it just happened… and I’m not complaining. This Bruschetta Chicken was simple, flavorful, and quick to make, not to mention healthy! Given how busy everyone is around the holidays, the timing was impeccable.

I’ve been slowly working my way through the Beachbody workout program Chalean Extreme. The premise is that you lift heavy weights, lift them slowly and with excellent form, and thus you need to do less reps. Workouts are around 35 minutes (including warm up and cool down), with a few that are longer. But I’m loving it, as in just a few short weeks, I’m lifting heavier weights (20 lb dumbbells for some upper body exercises, 30 lb dumbbells for lower body exercises) and feeling STRONG.

But I digress. So this recipe comes from the Chalean Extreme Nutrition Guidebook. Typically I find “healthy” recipes can be pretty basic and boring, but that is so not the case! This is bursting with flavor, and makes me want to try other recipes. [Editors note: I did try others. And they were equally delicious!]

So continue reading to see how easy this was to make!

First, take washed tomatoes and start dicing them into small cubes. I used Campari, although the recipe recommends Plum tomatoes (mainly because Plum tomatoes have less seeds in the middle… see pic below):

Place diced tomatoes in a bowl, and then smash your garlic. (Side note: I love smashing garlic. It’s super easy, and the best way to release all that yummy garlic spiciness. Haven’t smashed garlic before?  Remove one clove of garlic from the garlic pod, leaving the thin skin on. Take a large chef knife, and lay it flat over the top of the garlic, with the sharp edge of the blade facing away from you. Take the heel of your hand and slam it down on the knife, like you mean it.  Voila. Your garlic should have split open, and you can easily remove the paper skin and now mince your garlic with ease! See below for an example of smashed garlic)

Next, chop up some basil into tiny strips, and combine tomato, garlic and basil together. I let mine sit for 45 minutes so that all the flavors could mix together, but you don't have to wait that long. 

Then, season your chicken, and start  cooking.  I like using the chicken tender-sized pieces of chicken because they cook more quickly and are easier for me to portion out… Spray your pan with olive oil, get it nice and hot, and then place the chicken on it, cooking for 3-4 minutes each side on medium-high.

Once you place the chicken in the pan, let it be. Don’t touch it. Don’t lift it up to see if it’s cooking.  Let it sit for the 3-4 minutes and then turn it over, and it will be a lovely golden brown.

Remove chicken from heat, and plate. I served mine with a few roasted fingerling potatoes and steamed green beans spritzed with lemon, and it was gorgeous, flavor-ific, and healthy.  Lean, clean, and green (plus red) baby!

Continue reading below for the full recipe, or click here for the printable version.

Bruschetta Chicken

Ingredients:

20-24oz bonesless skinless chicken breast, butterflied (I like to use the tenders)

4 tsp onion powder

4 tsp chili powder (I also added paprika and garlic powder)

4 plum tomatoes, diced

8 Tbsp fresh basil, thinly sliced

4 tsp garlic, minced

4 tsp olive oil

6-8 cups steamed green beans

S&P to taste

Directions:

1. Make bruschetta salsa. Add diced tomatoes, sliced basil, and smashed/minced garlic to bowl, season with salt and pepper, and mix well.
2. Heat a grill or pan with olive oil.  Season chicken.  When pan is medium hot, add chicken and let cook 3-4 minutes per side. Don’t touch chicken, let it sit there so a nice crust forms.
3. While chicken is cooking, steam green beans.  Place trimmed green beans in a microwave safe bowl, with 1-2 TBSP of water, and cook on high for 4-5 minutes.  Or, bowl about 1 inch of water in a pot, place a steaming basket in the pot, add trimmed green beans and steam for 5 minutes until al dente.
4. Plate green beans, chicken, and top chicken with bruschetta.
5. Enjoy!

Orange and rosemary jumbo scallops and shrimp

Fresh-squeezed Florida orange juice.  Jumbo sea scallops.  Fresh Gulf of Mexico shrimp.  Do I have your attention?

Good.  You won't want to miss out on this phenomenal scallops and shrimp dish, whether you are in Florida or not.  What a fresh, tasty meal this was... definitely restaurant worthy!!!

Here's how I made the scrumptious Orange and rosemary jumbo scallops and shrimp:

Start by halving at least one orange....

...and use a juicer (I got this one for CHEAP off of Amazon.com)...

...I juiced a lot of oranges to take advantage of having the appliance out... but you only need 1/2 a cup of juice, so save the rest and have it for breakfast the next day :)...

...Meanwhile, start sauteeing some diced shallots in olive oil...

...while those are sauteeing (stir often to make sure they don't get burnt), take your scallops and shrimp, pat them dry, and then dust them with a teensy bit of flour...

...once the shallots are done cooking, remove them from the pan (into a bowl), add a bit more olive oil, and then add the scallops and shrimp, cooking 1-2 minutes per side until you get a nice sear on the scallops and the shrimp are cooked through...

...look at this gorgeous sear...

...once the shrimp and scallops are done cooking, remove them from the pan and place on a plate, and add the orange juice, lemon juice and white wine (PS, it's totally OK to have been drinking some of the wine during the cooking process haha ;) )...

....While the sauce is simmering for a bit, chop the fresh rosemary...

...add 1 T butter and cooked shallots to the pan, stirring to combine...

...and then add the shrimp and scallops, stirring to coat...

...top with rosemary, and PLATE.

...admire the beautiful sear, the bright orange flavor, and the savory flavor of the rosemary...

Nom. Nom. Nom.

This dish exemplifies everything I love about Florida.  Fresh seafood, fresh oranges, fresh, fresh, FRESH yumminess.  But you can definitely recreate this anywhere, trust me.  It's all about your ingredients...

Let me know if you try the recipe!

Continue reading for the full recipe below or click here to view/print:

Orange and rosemary jumbo scallops and shrimp
Slightly modified from a recipe found on Oprah.com

Ingredients
3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. finely chopped shallots
5 jumbo diver sea scallops (use more if you can't find jumbo)
12 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Flour , for dredging
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup Sauvignon Blanc wine
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice plus more lemon juice to taste
1/2 cup fresh orange juice (from about 1 large orange)
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary

Directions

1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet. Sauté shallots over medium heat until soft. Remove with a slotted spoon; set aside.
2. Meanwhile, pat shrimp and scallops dry with paper towels. Dredge very lightly with flour, and season with salt and pepper.
3. Increase heat under pan to high; sear half of seafood for 1 minute. Turn and cook other side for 2 minutes; set aside. Add rest of oil to pan; when hot, repeat process with remaining seafood.
4. Add wine, lemon juice, orange juice, and orange zest to skillet (the sauce will sizzle and steam). Bring to a boil, and reduce until thickened, about 5 minutes. Taste for sweetness; add more lemon juice, salt, and pepper if necessary. Return shallots to pan and swirl in butter; add seafood to heat through and coat with sauce. Sprinkle with rosemary, and serve with rice on the side. 
5. Try not to inhale.  Savoooorrrrr.....

ENJOY!!!!

Crustless Broccoli Cheddar Tomato Quiche

My parents came to visit me a few months ago... and whenever they come, I have a list of "to do"s for them to complete - sometimes I ask my Mom to hem a pair of pants... sometimes I ask my Dad to fix a drawer or replace a kitchen faucet.

But a staple of any visit is a trip to CostCo.  I LOVE COSTCO.  I go crazy in that place. I'm like a kid in a candy store, but instead of candy, I go gaga for the abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables at crazy insanely inexpensive prices.  A 16 pack of gala apples, a 12 pack of plums, a giant veggie tray, 5 lbs of tomatoes.  My eyes are like saucers and, of course, there's a giant cart that I can easily load up... The problem is that I'm just one person... it's almost impossible for me to eat everything I buy.  Which I conveniently only remember AFTER I swipe the credit card.

So what's a girl to do with a giant bunch of veggies?  Make a veggie quiche!

I started with a Martha Stewart recipe and slightly adapted it to fit my needs:


Crustless Broccoli Cheddar Tomato Quiche
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch of broccoli, chopped into bite size pieces
• 1 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved
• 6 large eggs (4 egg whites, 2 whole eggs)
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3-4 slices of reduced fat cheddar cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Lightly coat the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie dish with PAM spray; set aside.
3. In a large bowl, toss broccoli, tomatoes and cheddar cheese; add to pie dish and spread evenly.

4. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Pour over veggie mixture in pie dish.

5. Bake until golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes.

EASY PEASY, right?!?!

It was so easy... and it's so freaking yummy, not to mention healthy.  Crustless quiches (or are they called frittatas?) are my go-to breakfast meal.  You can make them ahead of time, portion out into individual containers, carry to work and easily heat up... and best, it fills you up so you're not starving by 10:30/11am.  It's a diet maker, not a diet breaker!!!

But now that I've used up all the veggies, I need my parents to come visit me again :) :) :)

Click here for a printable version of this recipe.