Main Courses | Simple By Cindy

Roasted Chicken and Broccolini

Aug. 21
2015

I just love this dinner! It is always my go to when I need to get a meal on the table fast. The next time you are trying to figure out what to make and may be thinking take-out, reconsider! By the time you figure out where you want to order from and who wants what, this can be prepared and on the table!

I am going to offer two ways to make the chicken. The first one you may choose to make if you have the time, or are having company. The second will be faster. Neither one takes long to prepare. Both will result in a moist, delicious bird that your family or company will love.

Broccolini is a vegetable that you don’t see too often in recipe magazines or books. I don’t know why because it is fantastic. It is very similar to broccoli, but with smaller florets and longer, thinner stalks and is also known as “baby broccoli”. It is a very delicate vegetable that only needs to be cooked briefly. This adds up to fast and simple in my book. Try it, I know you will love it!

Preheat oven to 375.

If you have the time, try adding this step first. You will need: (my essence, or yours!)

1 stick of margarine or butter melted
2 tbsp. fresh oregano (or 1 tbsp dried)
2 tbsp. fresh thyme (or 1 tbsp dried)
Juice of half a lemon
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Mix all ingredients together.

Take two fingers and place between skin and meat of chicken. Slowly and carefully separate the skin from the meat. (I know this looks bad, but in the end it tastes great!)

With a spoon, pour melted butter mixture in between the skin and the meat.

If you do not have the time, skip the first step and just prepare as follows;

Make your essence. Here is mine (just in case you missed it in my previous blog).

2 tbsp. garlic powder
2 tbsp. onion powder
2 tsp. oregano
2 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
3 tbsp. paprika

Mix and sprinkle all ingredients (without the paprika) over entire chicken. Make sure to get it under thigh and wings. Pat onto chicken.

Next trickle on paprika and pat onto chicken as well.

I like to make my roast chicken on a vertical roaster. You can purchase it on amazon and it is very inexpensive. This method allows all the fat to drip down into the pan so you get a perfectly crisp chicken every time. If you don’t have a vertical roaster, you can place the chicken breast side up in a baking pan.

Place vertical roaster in aluminum pan and put in oven.

Set timer for 15 minutes.

Turn oven down to 350 and roast for 1 hour. You may need a little more or less time depending on the size of the chicken. Make sure to adjust your timer for 10 minute increments if needed.

Ingredients for the Broccolini

Preheat oven to 500.

3 tbsp olive oil
6 cloves of garlic, chopped
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tbsp. balsalmic vinegar
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. pepper

Wash and trim ends off broccolini. Place in bowl with ingredients and mix well.

Transfer to baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes. Take out when broccolini is bright green. Remember, it will still cook after you remove it from the oven!

Dinner is done!

It’s that simple!

Roasted Carrot, Chicken Quinoa Bowl

Aug. 19
2015

Tonight, I prepared a meal that is a little bit lighter than usual. I saw this in an issue of Cooking Light magazine and modified the ingredients to my families taste. For example, I substituted provolone cheese for goat cheese, knowing my family would prefer that.

I chose this recipe because it seemed fast, easy and healthy. I am usually right with my assessments. Not this time! It was easy and healthy, but it took much longer to prepare than I had anticipated. Give yourself time to prepare this one. Cooking and shredding the chicken takes time.

It was worth it! The result was delicious and my family loved it! The dressing was delicate and gave the salad just the right flavor. The quinoa added a nice texture. I hope you try this one!

Ingredients for the Salad

2 cups diagonally cut carrots (sliced thin)
2 tsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt plus another 1/2 set aside for the dressing
Cooking spray
1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
1 1/2 cups shredded skinless boneless chicken breast
1/2 pound provolone cheese
1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onion
1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped

Ingredients for the Dressing

5 tbsp. plain reduced fat greek yogurt
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tbsp honey
3/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp black pepper

Combine yogurt, salt, lemon juice, honey, cumin and pepper into a bowl and whisk together. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 450.

Combine carrots, oil and 1/2 tsp. salt and toss.

Lay out onto flat baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Place in oven for 15 minutes until tender. Set timer! If they brown and carmalize, even better!

Lower oven heat to 350.

Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper. Place in oven for 20-25 minutes, depending on the thickness of each breast. Set your timer! Reset timer for 5 minutes increments if they are not fully cooked until they are ready to come out. Remember they will continue to cook when you remove them from the oven, so allow time for that or you will have overcooked chicken breasts!

When they have cooled, shred chicken into small pieces.

Cook quinoa according to package directions. allow it time to cool.

Todays hint: When you are washing any kind of salad greens, put them into a bowl filled with cold water and a teaspoon of lemon juice or white vinegar. Let them sit for a while. All of the dirt will fall down to the bottom of the bowl. Gently lift greens out of bowl. Rinse them one more time under water. Set greens on paper towels and gently roll the greens up in the towel to dry. Make sure you dry the salad greens well because any wet ingredient in a salad will make it soggy!

Combine all ingredients into a large bowl.

Dish out each serving separately, and add a small amount of dressing to each dish.

Now this may have taken some time as I said, but it was worth it!

Enjoy!

It’s that simple! Phew!

Chicken Thighs and Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Aug. 14
2015

When it comes to chicken, you are either a dark meat or a white meat person. I prefer the dark meat on the bone because it is always juicy, tender and sweet and is easier to make than white meat. I had my butcher prepare boneless chicken thighs for me with the skin on for this recipe but bone-in would work great too! You can substitute chicken breast for chicken thighs, but remember to buy them with the skin on so you can brown them. The skin is what soaks up the sauce and makes this recipe delicious!

The brussels sprouts need to be cut in half and roasted flat side up so they get really brown. The brown parts of anything you cook are the parts that have caramelized and taste the best. So don’t be afraid when they start browning…that is the part that will be the most favorable!

Ingredients for the Chicken thighs

Preheat oven to 250

6 boneless chicken thighs, skin on
4 tbs. olive oil
2 tbsp. margarine or butter, plus 1 more set aside
5 garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup good white wine
1 cup chicken broth
Juice of 1 lemon
4 sprigs fresh thyme, chopped (or 2 tbsp. dried)
4 sprigs oregano, chopped (or 2 tbsp. dried)
4 tbsp. fresh parsley (or 2 tbsp. dried)
2 tbsp. Kosher salt, plus 1 tbsp. set aside
1 tbsp. pepper, plus 1 tbsp. set aside

In a pan, (one you can also use in the oven) heat 4 tbsp. olive oil and 2 tbsp. butter on medium heat. Sprinkle 2 tbsp. kosher salt and 1 tbsp. pepper on both sides of chicken thighs. Place in pan skin side down.

Set timer for 7 minutes. Do not move chicken thighs! When timer rings, turn thighs set timer for 5 minutes. Remove thighs from pan. Set aside.

Pour out all except about 3 tbsp. olive oil and set pan back on stove.

Add extra 1 tbsp. butter and garlic. Brown garlic for less than 1 minute (oil will be very hot so garlic will cook very fast).

Add white wine and let it reduce for about 2-3 minutes.

Pour in chicken broth, lemon juice, 1 tbsp. salt and 1 tbsp. pepper.

Bring to a boil and add thyme, oregano and parsley. Turn heat to low and cook for 8 minutes.

Take pan off the heat, place thighs back into pan, skin side up.

Place in oven for 20 minutes.

Ingredients for the Brussels Sprouts

Preheat oven to 500

1 package Brussels Sprout, washed and cut into halves
1/4 cup olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp. Kosher salt
1 tsp. pepper

Mix brussels sprouts with all the ingredients.

Place on pan, flat sides facing up. Put pan into oven.

Cook for about 20-25 minutes, or until you see brussels sprouts start to brown.

It’s that simple!

Shrimp Scampi My Way

Aug. 10
2015

There are so many different ways to make Shrimp Scampi: in a red sauce, in a white sauce, without pasta, over rice…There are endless possibilities!

I tried many different recipes until I came up with this dish which has since become a staple in my house. I finally mastered it and now have it to share with you. You can always shorten the time it takes to make by using dry herb ingredients instead of fresh ones.

Todays Hint: Read ingredients before starting recipe. Prepare each ingredient first and set aside. This will making cooking time less effortful and much faster.

Ingredients for Shrimp Scampi
2 pounds of shrimp peeled and deveined and cut into pieces
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
8 anchovies
½ tsp red pepper flakes
8 cloves garlic minced
4 stems fresh oregano leaves, chopped (or 2 tbsp dried)
4 stems thyme, chopped (or 2 tbsp dried)
½ fresh lemon juice
½ cup basil leaves, chopped (or 1/4 cup dried)
1 cup of good white wine
¾ cup chicken broth or stock
½ cup of breadcrumbs
1 pound of linguini
1 tbsp. Kosher salt (1/4 reserved)
1 1/4 tsp. pepper ( 1/4 reserved)

Cook linguini for 4 minutes less than the directions tell you to.

SAVE 1 cup of the pasta water for the sauce.

Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shrimp to the pot with a ¼ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper. Cook until shrimp turns bright orange about 2-3 minutes. Take the shrimp off and set it aside.

Add 1 tsp more olive oil to the pan. Take chopped anchovies and crushed red pepper and put into the pan.

Cook until anchovies melt, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook for only one minute. Watch carefully so garlic does not burn.

Add breadcrumbs to the pot, cook for 2-3 minutes until you see them start to brown. Keep mixing so it does not stick to pan.

Place wine in pan and reduce for 2-3 minutes.

Add chicken broth and lemon juice and bring the sauce to a boil. Place chopped herbs into pot and let it cook for about 5-7 minutes.

Now it is time to put pasta into pot. If it is sticking don’t worry, it will start to come apart as it absorbs the sauce.

Add remaining salt and pepper. Add shrimp back to the pot. Stir in a little bit of pasta water at a time, until the sauce reaches desired thickness (you may not need all of the pasta water). Keep cooking for about another 3-4 minutes.

SOOO good! You have to try this!

It’s that simple!

Skirt Steak and Shelley’s Barley

Aug. 3
2015

I must have at least one hundred cookbooks. Not kidding.

Many years ago my friend Beth bought me a cookbook, Jewish Holiday Baking by Marcy Goldman. I made some of the recipes and so many of them were so wonderful that I became addicted to cookbooks.

I am not a good baker at all. I would rather cook a meal than bake, but when you have a great cookbook or recipe it doesn’t matter…it just works.

I highlight the recipes that I might want to make in the future with colored tabs. In upcoming posts, I hope to share many of the recipes I love and know to be successful and delicious.

Many of my go-to recipes belong to my mother and good friends, but most of them come from my sister-in-law, Shelley.

Shelley and I share a passion for cooking and making holidays that bring the family together. We cook with love and our passion for entertaining is evident in the dishes we prepare. She has been an inspiration for me in so many ways and I look forward to sharing more of her dishes with you! This barley recipe comes from Shelley and is an easy to prepare, family favorite.

Ingredients for the Skirt Steak
I like to cook with kosher meat, but I will confess that in a pinch I will go to the butcher in my grocery store and buy my meat there.

For this recipe, I like to use what my butcher calls a “California cut”. It is thick and well-marbled and always comes out juicy and delicious. You can use a skirt steak from your grocery butcher too, as it works just as well. Just be careful about how long you cook them, because cooking time depends on the meat’s thickness.

Buy one skirt steak for each person you are serving.

You can make the marinade the night before or that morning.

Ingredients for the Marinade
½ cup beef broth
1/4 cup white wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup worcheschire sauce
Juice of 1/2 lemon
4 sprigs oregano or 2 tsp. dried
2 sprigs thyme or 1 tsp. dried
7 cloves garlic, smashed (you do not have to peel them)
2 tbsp Kosher salt
1 tsp pepper

Ingredients for the meat (My Essence)
2 tbsp. garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tbsp oregano
1 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Mix all these ingredients together.

Take the meat out of the marinade. Place on broiler pan or in aluminum pan.

Turn oven to Broil.

Sprinkle both sides liberally with onion, garlic, paprika, oregano, salt and pepper mixture.

Place in oven.

Set timer for 5 minutes.

Turn meat over and set timer for 5 more minutes or until medium rare (the thickness of the meat will determine how much longer you need to cook). Set your timer for 2 minute increments until it has reached your desired preference.

You will set timer for 7 or 8 minutes each side for medium well meat.

Ingredients for the Barley
1 package toasted barley
2 packages Knorr’s French Onion Soup Mix

1 package fresh mushrooms or 1 can mushrooms (You can leave the mushrooms out if your family does not like them– the barley will still be terrific!)
1 stick margarine

Heat oven to 375.

Make the barley according to the directions on the bag minus 2 minutes. Do not salt the water.

Melt butter in microwave for 20 seconds.

Mix the french onion soup mix, mushrooms and melted butter in pot or baking dish that can go in the oven. You can add the mushrooms to this mixture if you are using them.

When barley is ready, drain and mix it in with the other ingredients.

Place in oven for 15 minutes uncovered.

Set your timer!

After 15 minutes, turn oven down to to 350 and cover the barley.

Cook for 20 more minutes. (remember to reset your timer!)

It’s that simple! Hope you enjoy! Thank you Simone!