Mediterranean Chicken

I adopted and modified this recipe to come up with this delicious one-pan chicken dinner. It's low-cal (well, if you can restrain yourself from a cheese overdose), high-protein, and has tons of impressive flavors. And hey, if I can make it on a Monday night, then so can you.

Total Prep Time: 15-20 minutes

Total Cook Time: 30 minutes

What you will need:

1 package chicken (3 breasts)
3-4 fresh roma tomatoes
1 can artichoke hearts (quartered, not marinated)
3-4 leaves fresh basil
1 1/2 tbsp flour
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp minced garlic (not pictured)
shredded reduced fat/part skim mozzarella (reduced fat crumbled feta would be a good substitute)
italian seasoning
sea salt
black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400.

Roughly chop the roma tomatoes, removing excess seeds. You don't have to get every seed or membrane, but if they separate easily, take the "guts" and push them aside. You'll have plenty of juice without them, I promise.

Drain the artichoke heart quarters and add to a mixing bowl with the tomatoes.

Add in the olive oil, flour, garlic, and dry seasonings (salt, pepper and italian seasonings) to taste. Don't be afraid to use quite a bit of the italian seasonings as they will infuse the rest of the dish as it bakes. Mix well with a large spoon so that all the veggies are coated with the flour. The flour is important because it will help absorb/thicken some of the liquid that accumulates as the chicken cooks.

Butterly your chicken breasts and then season them well with salt, pepper and italian seasonings. Place in a glass baking dish (I always spray mine with a bit of Pam but it's not absolutely necessary).

Top the chicken breasts with the veggie mixture.

Pop the baking dish in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until the chicken shows no pink. How do you know if the chicken is done? I cut into the thickest piece. Doesn't always look pretty, but it's the best way to avoid salmonella.

Top the cooked dish with the shredded mozzarella--as much as you want. This can be very cheesy or barely cheesy at all, depending on how healthy you're trying to be. Sprinkle a bit of italian seasoning on the cheese, and then tear the basil leaves over the top of the cheese as well.

Put the dish back in the oven for about five minutes, or until the cheese has gotten nice and melty. Turn the broiler on "high" and stand there with the oven door cracked, watching it like a hawk, until it does it's nice little brown bubbly thing.

Serve and enjoy!!!!!!!

Steamed Artichoke with Lemon Dill Aioli

Artichokes in the summertime are one of my favorite side dishes to make. When I first started dating J, I made these artichokes, and he looked on dubiously, telling me that it seemed like "a lot of effort for not so much food." After tasting them the way they SHOULD be prepared, he was a believer. These are a very easy and convenient side dish that brings the South of France and the Mediterranean right into your dining room (or living room, in front of The Bachelorette, as it happens in my house).

Total time for these from start to finish is about 50 minutes. However, there is a lot of downtime after the first ten minutes, so you have plenty of time to make a main dish after you start these puppies. You can also make the aioli one night if you have some spare time and keep it in a tupperware in the fridge for a few days. 

What you will need:

2 artichokes, as pictured above (one per person served)
1/2 cup light mayo
1/3 cup light sour cream
1 tbsp dried dill
1/2 lemon
garlic powder
sea salt
black pepper

First things first, prep your artichokes. Some people go all the way and clip the tops of each leaf to get rid of the point. I just slice the stem so that it's short; about 1/2 of an inch from the base of the artichoke.

Put the 'chokes in a large pot and fill as high as possible with water. Put them on the stove and let them reach a low rolling boil.

Cover them with a lid and let them continue to boil slowly for about 30 minutes. Alternately, you could use a steamer and steam the artichokes; I'd love to do them this way but I don't own a steamer yet. They will first turn a bright green color as pictured above, and then turn a darker green and the water will become a bit green too. 

For the aioli, mix the mayo and the sour cream into a bowl together. It will be a lovely off-white color; taste this mixture first and make sure it suits your palate. There should be slightly less sour cream than mayo in the mix, but if you don't like the way it tastes, then fix it!

After mixing it together and making sure you like the base, squeeze in the juice of half of a lemon. Now, a trick on squeezing lemons to get maximum juice and minimum seeds. First thing you should do is roll the lemon on the counter, pushing down on it to loosen it up a bit, then slice it in half. And then, you should invest in the "lemon sock" (also known as stretch wraps). Behold:

A pack of these cost $2 or so, and they keep all seeds out as you squeeze your lemon. If you aren't using a citrus reamer, this is a great way to get your juice out.

After you squeeze in your juice, put your dill in (again, this is to taste; I've only given a baseline for what I like), and also put in just a pinch of garlic powder, salt, and pepper (all to taste). 

Mix it all together, and then toss it in the fridge to chill while you cook the rest of your meal.

After about 30 minutes at a low boil, your artichokes should be about ready. Stick a fork in the base of the artichoke; if it goes in pretty easily, then they are done. If you're fighting to get it in the base of the artichoke, not done yet; let it keep boiling. 

Once they are done, drain them and let them cool a bit, turned upside down so residual water comes out. Then serve whole with the aioli, and enjoy!