A Wonderful Tasting Chicken Breast Recipe

About a month ago my friend Robin sent me an email which read: "this chicken recipe is a keeper..." And boy was she right. It's hard to believe that such a simple marinade could bring out so much flavor and keep a common, bland chicken breast so moist.
I'll be trying it with tofu next, but for now here's this wonderful recipe, with some minor alterations, for you to enjoy.



Cilantro Thai Grilled Chicken (serves 4)

2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup cilantro
2 tablespoons asian fish sauce or 1 tablespoon of GF soy sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

Place all the ingredients above in a food processor and process until smooth.

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Pour marinade over chicken breast and let flavors sink in for 15 minutes in the refrigerator.
Prepare your grill or broiler. Cook until temperature registers 165F on the meat thermometer. Let the chicken breasts rest for 5 minutes before serving, this prevents the meat from drying up.

In the mood for chicken? Check out these other recipes:
Fig Chicken with Rosemary and Thyme
Grilled Chicken Tenders with Pumpkin Seed Pesto

An Early Taste of Fall: Pumpkin Chocolate Scones

I need bread in the morning and so do my kids. My husband can take it or leave it. What is wrong with that man? I think it's genetic... Luckily, this may be the only thing we do not have in common-- Well that, and the fact that he is a night owl and I am a morning person. Our children, poor souls, take after me. So in the morning as I try desperately to inhale my coffee, they open their little beaks and start making little hungry sounds. On a good day, I am prepared with some homemade bread ready for the toaster. There are, however, those mornings where not a crumb is left and I need something fast to feed to them.

Muffins are great but scones are even better. It's like eating a cookie for breakfast. It goes so well with the warm gulps of coffee. The combination is just lovely.

Growing up in France, pumpkin was not a part of my diet but I'm quite fond of it. What is not to love?



It's orange, starchy, so satisfying and goes beautifully with all kinds of spices, as well as chocolate.

So in the spirit of all things orange and delicious, I give you a new family recipe: Pumpkin Chocolate Scones.




Pumpkin Chocolate Scones (11 scones)
As usual, if you are not concerned with your gluten or wheat intake, you can replace the brown rice flour, tapioca starch and sorghum flour with 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour and 1 1/2 cup of all purpose, as well as omit the xantham gum.



Dry Ingredients:

1 cup brown rice flour
1 cup tapioca starch
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon xantham gum
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup turbinado sugar or other granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Wet Ingredients:

1 cup pumpkin puree, canned okay
1 large egg, beaten
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons lowfat milk or soy milk

Add Ins:

1/4 cup roasted walnut oil, or canola oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced
1/4 cup walnut pieces
1/4 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven 400F.
Oil cookie sheet.

Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
Mix all the wet ingredients in a small bowl.

Pour oil into the flour mixture, then butter. Combine with your fingers until nice and crumbly. Make a well in the middle.
Pour the liquid mixture into the well and work in by mixing with a spoon until just combined. Add walnut pieces and chocolate chips and mix in.
Using 1/4 cup measuring cup, drop batter onto the prepared cookie sheet. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden. Transfer to a rack to cool for ten minutes.

Other quick recipes for breakfast:
Orange Blueberry Muffins
Candied Orange Muffins with Rosemary

Melon Blueberry Dressed-Up Salad

When I was a child, my parents entertained a lot. Our home often buzzed with foreign or local visitors. My mother would cook beautiful multi-course meals to spoil our guests. She was a wonderful cook. I say: "she was" because she no longer cooks. She jokes that she forgot how to. Funny Maman!

Although I miss her homemade pasta, gnocchi and profiteroles, I have to say that I get a thrill from having her crave my food for a change. My style is very different than hers. I may serve elegant dishes but it's always in a casual atmosphere. I don't use fine china or crystal glasses. Instead, I let the food speak for itself on simple white plates. One presentation she use to make that I still love is using small melons or avocado halves as salad bowls. It was always magical to me: a sure sign that the rest of the meal would be delectable. She would put so much effort, care and generosity in her offerings and for that I am forever thankful.



Just like my mother's use of fruits as bowls, creating a creamy sauce to coat melons and berries elevates the humble fruit to elegant status. It may not be reinventing the wheel but it's delightful never-the-less.

This one goes to Holler host this month of No Crouton Required.



Blueberry Melon Salad with Yogurt Maple Dressing (serves 6)
I love to make fruit salads as part of the meal but feel free to use this delicious summer salad as a dessert as well.

Ingredients:
2 cups of Blueberries
3 cups of melon balls, or large dices ( Cantaloupe or Charentais melon)



Yogurt Dressing:
1/2 cup lowfat plain yogurt (goat, soy, or regular okay)
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon roasted almond oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped mint
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Place the fruit in a strainer and let the juices drain out. In a medium/large bowl mix all the ingredients for the dressing in a bowl and mix well. Transfer the drained fruit into the bowl with the dressing and mix gently. Refrigerate until ready to serve or serve immediately.



Other fruity recipes:
Velvety Apricot Soup with Blueberries
Quick and Simple Jam

The Perfect Brunch Dish: French Toast Casserole

There is something so delightful about a lazy day brunch, catching up with family or friends while enjoying a delicious meal. My favorite way to put such an event together is by doing as much of the prep work ahead of time. This allows me to actually relax and chat with my company.

Pretty much every country with a strong bread culture has a version of French Toast. It's a great way to use up old bread and turn it into a tasty treat. The French call it Pain Perdu (lost bread). A favorite "quatres heures"(4 o'clock) or "gouter", France's official snack time for kids when I was growing up, was to soak thick slices of old baguette into milk, then dip it in an egg mixture. My older siblings would pan fry it in lots of butter and plate it. We would sprinkle some confectioner sugar on top. The white powder contrasting ever so slightly with the beautiful golden hue of the toast. My mouth would water as I watched eagerly for the sugar shower to end and permission to dig in.

This casserole is perfect for entertaining. It requires to be assembled the night before and comes together really easily.



The delicate orange flavor mixed in with the caramelized custard makes this dish a creme brulee-french toast hybrid. People who avoid wheat or gluten will be thrilled to indulge in french toast again by using my recipe forAlmost Challah (omit the sesame seeds).



French Toast Casserole (serves 8)
Use regular store bought challah, egg bread or brioche bread if you are not concerned about gluten or wheat.


3 whole eggs
2/3 cups egg whites
1 cup lowfat milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon GF vanilla extract
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 tablespoon agave nectar, or honey
1/4 tsp of salt

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
8 to 12-- 3/4 inch thick slices of Almost Challah (sesame seeds omitted) or other challah bread. Enough to cover a 13x9 casserole dish.

The night before serving:
In a medium bowl, mix the eggs, egg whites, milk, cream, vanilla extract, orange zest, agave nectar or honey and salt.
In a small pan, melt the brown sugar and butter until smooth. Transfer sugar-butter mixture to a pre-oiled lasagna dish (13 x 9 inches). Arrange the slices of challah over it and cover the surface. Pour the egg mixture over the bread. Cover, weight down with another dish to submerge the bread and refrigerate overnight.



Next Morning:
Preheat oven to 375F and take the casserole out of the fridge.
Remove cover and bake for 40 minutes or until edges come slightly away from dish and the french toast casserole is golden. The top is encrusted with the orange zest and the bottom is surrounded by a delectable caramel custard. You can serve it with either side up. Fresh fruits are a nice addition to this lovely meal.



Enjoy these other related recipes:
Candied Orange Muffins with Rosemary
Eggs with Asian Tomato Salad
Chocolate Almond Raspberry Muffins

Just Lovely Orange Blueberry Muffins

I did not grow up with muffins but I have to admit that I have grown quite fond of them. For one thing, they are super fast and easy to put together and for another, they taste wonderful. The speed at which you can bake a batch makes it practical for a morning treat or a spontaneous snack. The possibilities are endless.

As much as I enjoy a nice piece of cake, I look for different qualities in my muffins. I like the texture to be a little denser and the flavor must be as assertive as a gust of fresh air. These blueberry muffins fit the bill perfectly. The orange infused batter helps to highlight the sweet berries. The texture is slightly dense. The overall effect is that the blueberries seem almost creamy inside this moist little muffin. Even my teenager, who doesn't like fruit cooked into his food, helped himself to seconds. All of us declared these little muffins a real treat.




Orange Blueberry Muffins (makes 24 small muffins or 18 regular)

If you are not concerned about gluten or wheat replace the GF flour with 1 cup of whole wheat white flour and 1 cup of all purpose and omit the xantham.
If you want to make these vegan, omit the egg and replace the butter for canola oil. I have baked them that way and they come out a little denser but they still taste great.

2 cups of GF all purpose flour mix (I use Bob's Red Mill)
1 tsp xantham gum
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 cup turbinado sugar or regular granulated sugar

1/2 cup orange juice
1 cup soy milk
1 tsp orange zest
1 whole egg
1/3 cup egg white
2 tablespoons of melted unsalted butter
1 tablespoon of canola oil

2 cups fresh sweet blueberries

Preheat oven 375F.
Oil muffin pans.
In a bowl mix all the dry ingredients (flour-sugar)
In another bowl mix all the wet ingredients (orange juice-oil)
Combine the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix well. Add the blueberries and mix. Divide the batter into the muffin pans. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until cooked through and golden. Check by inserting a knife in the center to make sure the batter is cooked through.

*** Alternative baking option: Pour batter into loaf pan and bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes or until cooked through and golden. Check by using the inserted knife method.

OOPS! My Bad...

I want to apologize for a mistake I made on a previous post. Over the weekend, I realized that my Almost Challah recipe had a BIG error in it. It seems that I forgot to type in a very important line while preparing the post. If you followed the recipe as originally posted, you would have found yourself with a unpalatable, stone-like lump. You see, I forgot to type in the tablespoon of yeast needed to make it become the beautiful delicious bread it was destined to be. I am really sorry if you tried it and sadly thought I was insane for declaring this the best gluten free bread ever. It really is... but without yeast it doesn't stand a chance.

I am very careful when I write posts. I check and double check my work. I have other people read them as well to make sure that I only present the very best I have to offer. I sincerely hope this did not inconvenience anyone. If it did, I am so sorry but please give it another chance... I have edited Almost Challah. Try it again, or for the first time. You will not be disappointed.

A Pail full of Blueberries and a Creamy Dessert

Chances are good that you will see quite a few recipes featuring blueberries this week on Artsy-Foodie. We went blueberry picking and brought home 13 pounds of blueberry goodness.



I made some jam and chutney that afternoon but still needed a dessert for our dinner. I decided to whip up a pudding with silken tofu, the homemade jam and some of the fresh blueberries. I have been making a chocolate version of this tofu pudding for fifteen years now and it's always a hit. I thought that the creaminess of the tofu would work well with the delightful blueberries. The pudding was a perfect compliment to the sweet, juicy berries and I love how easy it was to put this delectable dessert together.



Easy Blueberry Pudding (serves 4)

Ingredients:
12.3 oz carton firm silken tofu
1/2 cup of fruit juice sweetened blueberry jam
1 teaspoon GF vanilla extract
2 cups of fresh sweet blueberries
Additional jam for decoration (optional)



In a food processor, blend the tofu with the jam and the vanilla extract, scraping the sides once in a while. Process until completely smooth and transfer to a bowl. Add the fresh blueberries. Divide into 4 bowls and add a dollop of blueberry jam on top of each portion.

And one more recipe for your enjoyment...
Blueberry Plum Clafoutis