Grilled citrus chicken breasts

Beyond looking for healthier foods I've been trying to look for foods that bring in some color. Most of the dishes I've made lately have been dull looking, plain and brown. So now I'm trying to find foods that incorporate bits of color. Tonight's meal was found on the bon appetit website here.

Review: Tonight's meal didn't take much time to make with the longest part just being the chicken cooking on the grill. It is one that you need to marinade overnight so make sure you have the ingredients ahead of time. The chicken itself did have a citrus flavor to it but nothing that is overpowering. In fact, I liked the flavor more than I thought I would. Next time I make it I might leave out the oranges and lemons. They are mostly for looks and they charred more than caramelized like the directions said so they really were a waste of money. Not a lot of money, but still a waste. You also are supposed to squeeze the juice from the lemons and oranges over the meal but I didn't do that because the chicken had a sweet-sour taste as it was. Still, if you want to do that or you want the color on the plate as well then by all means, grill the lemons and oranges. Finally, I doubled the amount of ingredients for the marinade because the recipe calls for 4 chicken breasts and I used 6. Well, turns out doubling it is not necessary. If you are making 8-10 breasts then maybe you should double them but anything less than that and it's fine as written. The recipe also says the marinade should turn into a glaze but it didn't do that for me. Now, maybe it was because I doubled the amounts but be prepared for it to stay a smooth liquid. Oh, and to make it healthier I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts instead of bone-in, skin-on breasts.

Recipe:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus more for brushing
• 1 cup fresh orange juice (1 pint is equivalent to 2 cups as a reference for how much juice to buy)
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt plus more for seasoning
• 4 skin-on, bone-in chicken breasts (get whatever kind of chicken you want though)
• 2 oranges, cut into quarters
• 2 lemons, cut into quarters
• fresh parsley leaves

Whisk 2 tablespoons olive oil and the next 4 ingredients (orange juice, lemon juice, garlic and rosemary) in a large bowl. Stir in 2 teaspoons salt. Add chicken breasts, turn chicken to coat, cover and chill overnight (I put the chicken and the marinade in a Ziploc bag to help mix and save room in the fridge).

Build a medium-low fire in a charcoal grill, or heat a gas grill to medium. Remove chicken breasts from marinade then set the marinade aside. Place the chicken breasts on the grill, skin side up. Cover and grill, moving the chicken to different spots on the rack for even cooking but without turning, until slightly charred and almost cooked through, about 20 minutes (you shouldn't need to move it around if you use a gas grill). Turn the chicken. Brush the orange and lemon quarters with oil and arrange around chicken breasts on the grill. Continue grilling until chicken breasts are golden brown and cooked through and the orange and lemon quarters are caramelized, 10-15 minutes longer (I think if you cook the fruit for about 5 minutes on each side that will be good enough for those).

Meanwhile, bring the marinade to a boil in a small saucepan and cook until reduced to glaze consistency (about 1/3 cup). Season with salt. Transfer the chicken to a platter and surround with grilled oranges and lemons for squeezing over. Spoon glaze over chicken and garnish with parsley.

Obama congratulations Olympians in weekly address

President Barack Obama spent this week's address not talking about politics but congratulating the Olympians, both in the regular games and in the Paralympics, for their hardwork, dedication and success. He said he and the American people could not be prouder of their accomplishments. He also said that what they have been able to achieve should remind every American that we are one people, and by working together we can achieve great things. At the end of day 8 on Saturday, Aug. 4, the United States leads the medal count with 54. China is second with 53 medals and host nation, Great Britain, is third with 29 medals.

Grilled swordfish with pineapple-peach salsa

Another night where I found a recipe I liked and decided to cook it. I've never had swordfish before so that was another thing that intrigued me about the recipe. I'm also not sure if I'll make this one too often but for a different kind of meal it'll stay on my "menu." The original recipe can be found at the RecipeGirl website here.

Review: As I said above I don't know how often I'll make this recipe but it was all-in-all a good one. Because I've never had swordfish before I had to look up what it tasted like. Most comments I found said it was more meaty than fishy but to both my mom and myself, we thought it was actually fishy. I don't know if I cooked it a little too long or maybe even not long enough but after about halfway through it got almost too fishy for our liking. Next time I might just buy one swordfish steak and cut it in half for both of us. This recipe also would be good with any type of fish and mom and I really like salmon so next time I might try it with salmon. Mahi-Mahi might be a good fish with the meal too. The other thing I might change about the recipe is the amount of cilantro in the salsa mix. It seemed like a little much so I might cut that amount in half. Same with the red onions. The red onions and cilantro, to me, kind of overpowered the pineapple and the peach. Finally, instead of juice from fresh limes I used lime juice that you can find in your grocery store's juice aisle. Still, with the few tweaks I mentioned it would be an excellent meal and as is, it's all-in-all another good, healthy one to eat. Oh, and one quick, fun, interesting note I did learn from the smell and taste of it is that cumin is used in taco seasoning.

Recipe:

• 2 to 2 1/2 pounds swordfish, cut into 4 serving pieces (our grocery store already had them in pieces and this amount serves 4 people)

MARINADE:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• juice of 2 large limes (I used 2 tablespoons of lime juice as a substitute)
• 2 green onions, chopped
• one handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• salt and pepper

PINEAPPLE-PEACH SALSA:

• 1 cup finely chopped pineapple (about 1/3 of a fresh pineapple, but you can use however much you want)
• 1 cup chopped, peeled peaches (about 2 medium, but again you can use however much you want)
• 1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
• juice from 1/2 large lime (again, I used 1/2 tablespoon of lime juice as a substitute)

Rinse and pat dry the swordfish and place it in a 9x13 inch glass dish. In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the marinade ingredients. Pour the marinade over the swordfish and turn to coat (you might have to use your hands to scoop some of the marinade from the bottom of the dish to the top side of the fish after you turn it). Cover the dish with plastic wrap and let marinate for NO MORE than one hour (see TIP below).

While the swordfish is marinating, combine the salsa ingredients in a bowl and toss to combine. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve. Preheat the grill to medium heat. Grease the rack of your grill (or use a grilling tray) and grill the swordfish 5 to 6 minutes on the first side (covered), then 3 to 4 minutes on the other side or until the fish flakes apart easily. You definitely don't want to overcook swordfish or it will be tough and dry. Serve immediately with each swordfish steak topped with a generous dollop of pineapple-peach salsa.

***TIP*** Don't let the swordfish marinate for more than one hour. The citrus from the lime juice will begin to break down the fish and you want it to stay nice and firm.

Whole wheat penne pasta with salmon, tomatoes and herb dressing

I haven't had salmon in a while and tonight's meal was a good way to have it. It was filling because of the pasta but also healthy. Mom and I started a new diet a couple months ago so I've been trying to find recipes (or come up with my own) that follow our diet plan. There's not as much out there so it's been a little difficult to find stuff but when I saw this one I knew I had to try it. The original recipe can be found at the Cookin' Canuck website here.

Review: This recipe was quick and simple to make. The longest part of it was waiting for the water to boil and the pasta to cook. I will start out with saying the recipe called for cheese but cheese is not on our diet so I did not include that ingredient. I personally also did not eat the tomatoes but mom likes them so I put tomatoes in her bowl. For this meal the salmon was not that prevalent tasting compared to the pasta. The pasta and the herb dressing kind of overwhelmed the salmon. I added a little more olive oil than it called for because I didn't think it was smooth enough. I thought it was a thick dressing and I wanted it to be a little more runny. Next time I make it I also will use about half as much herbs (especially with the parsley). The amount of herbs I used also probably was why it was a thicker dressing. It was partly my bad because I used dried flakes instead of fresh herbs and you are supposed to use less dried flakes than fresh herbs but I didn't, I used equal amounts. I also would recommend drizzling a bit of olive oil on the top of your bowl or plate once it's all mixed together to give it a little more moisture. As it was, the pasta was a little dry and the olive oil on the top would give it a touch more flavor. Still, the meal was quite good and another keeper.

Recipe:

The Dressing:

• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon dried chili flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup olive oil

The Rest:

• 13 oz. whole wheat penne pasta
• 12 oz. skinless salmon, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
• 8 oz. grape or cherry tomatoes, cut in half (optional)
• 3 oz. myzithra (or feta) cheese (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste

The Dressing:
In the bowl of a food processor or blender, combine garlic, lemon juice, parsley, oregano, dried chili flakes, salt and pepper. Pulse until parsley is finely chopped. With the motor running, slowly pour in olive oil and blend until the dressing is mostly smooth (I poured some in then blended, poured some in then blended and added a little more olive oil to make it smoother and be more runny).

The Rest:
Cook penne according to package instructions. Drain and transfer to a bowl. Immediately toss with 3/4 of the dressing. Coat a large skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add the salmon to the skillet and saute until the salmon is just cooked through, roughly 3-5 minutes. To the pasta, add the salmon, tomatoes, myzithra (or feta) cheese and the rest of the dressing. Stir gently to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste, as desired. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Stuffing stuffed chicken

Tonight's meal was another one I created on my own. The concept isn't new, stuffed chicken, but the fact that I didn't have to "look it up" or get the recipe from someone or somewhere else makes it "mine" in my opinion. In a way it's a mini Thanksgiving meal. I will definitely make it again and also figure out more sides to go along with it to give it more of that Turkey day feeling.

Review: If you like Thanksgiving dinner you will like this. The easiest part of it is the deviled eggs but the stuffing and chicken aren't that difficult either. The recipe I'll put below for the stuffing is how we make stuffing in my family but of course it can be done anyway you know how. The ingredient amounts also are what I used for three people, but really the amounts can vary based on how many people you might be serving. It's hard to describe the meal's taste because the stuffing tastes like stuffing and the chicken tastes like chicken. They make a flavorful combination though and because I added chicken broth into the pan while I baked it, it was still quite moist. Like I said there isn't too much more I would do to change the overall concept. I might double the ingredients for the stuffing so there's not only enough to put in the chicken but also enough to have on its own, but other than that any thing else I do to this meal will just be figuring out traditional sides but making them healthy. This meal is really healthy by the way with low fat, low sugar and low sodium ingredients.

Recipe:

• 4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (get however many you want to cook)
• 6 eggs (use however many you want to hard boil)
• 6 slices of bread (I used 100% whole wheat because it's healthier but any type of bread is fine)
• 1 small onion (I used dried onion but fresh is OK too)
• 2 tablespoons sage
• 1 tablespoon celery flakes
• 1/2 cup basil, divided
• 1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth, divided
• 1/2 cup mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• fresh ground pepper, for taste
• paprika, for color

Start with boiling the water for the eggs. Boil the eggs for roughly 20 minutes then drain the water. Peel the shell, slice the eggs in half and put the yolk in a bowl. Mix the yolk and mustard in a bowl then fill the sliced eggs with the yolk-mustard mixture. Sprinkle paprika on top and refrigerate.

While the eggs are cooling, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut your chicken breasts length-wise being sure not to cut all the way through but enough to where it can flap open and lay pretty flat (this is called a butterfly cut and in some stores you can find chicken already sliced this way or you could ask the butcher to slice it for you if you don't want to). In a bowl crumble the bread slices and mix in the onion, sage, celery flakes, salt, pepper and 1/2 cup of the chicken broth. Once it's all mixed, take a small, nearly baseball-sized handful of the stuffing mixture and spread it on one side of each sliced chicken breast. Fold the other side over so it looks like a sub sandwich. Place the chicken breasts in a pan so they are lying on their side and pour the other 1/2 of the chicken broth over the chicken and around the pan. Sprinkle half the amount of the basil on the top of each chicken breast. Place in the oven and let bake for 20 minutes. Turn the chicken so it lays on their other side and sprinkle the remainder of the basil on the other side of the chicken. Stick back in the oven for another 10-20 minutes or until the chicken browns then serve immediately with the deviled eggs.

Obama remembers victims of Colorado shooting

President Barack Obama took time off from politics on Saturday and used his weekly address to remember the victims of the Aurora, Colorado shooting. At the midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises movie, a man walked into a theatre and shot more than 70 people, killing 12 and wounding more than 50.

Chipotle herb chicken

I DID IT!!! I'm a chef! OK, well, maybe not a chef but I feel safe in saying I'm a really good cook. Tonight's meal I made from my own head and based it on recipes I've made before. I just grabbed ingredients from the shelf and started cooking. The end result was a fantastic meal that I most definitely will cook again.

Review: Tonight's meal was thought of on the fly and I just kept putting in flavors I remembered from previous recipes. The result: a great meal that was HEALTHY, flavorful, moist and mouthwatering (at least in my opinion). I will say I didn't use any exact measurements other than 1 cup of chicken broth but when I put the recipe below I will try to approximate how much of each ingredient I used, but really it doesn't matter. You can just pour in the ingredients as you see fit. I also added chipotle/chili powder to the meal but you couldn't really taste it. I put in cornstarch to make the "sauce" a little thicker but if you don't like that kind of thing (as my dad apparently doesn't) then you can leave out the cornstarch and just let the liquid be. If you make the green beans with it the timing for both the green beans and chicken should work out to where they are finished at the same time, roughly 15-20 minutes. I have made the green beans before and you can find that recipe in a different post but I'll go through the steps to make it below as well. I also would say that even though I poured in the ingredients as they were cooking it might be easier to mix the chicken broth and the corn starch in a separate bowl before pouring them in the pan. It'll be easier to mix that way for sure.  I also marinaded the chicken for about 20 minutes or so but next time I make this meal I might marinade them a little longer as well as add in some basil and parsley during the marinating process. It doesn't have to marinate at all though. Other than those few comments this meal was simply wonderful and I'm extremely proud of myself for making my FIRST "own" recipe. I can't wait to do it again!

Recipe:

• 4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 6 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 tablespoons chipotle or chili powder (I actually used chili powder)
• 4 teaspoons garlic powder, divided
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 tablespoons basil
• 2 tablespoons parsley
• 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon corn starch (add more if the sauce doesn't thicken to your liking)
• 2 teaspoons Kosher salt, divided
• Fresh ground pepper for taste
• 1 pound of fresh green beans

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Mix 2 teaspoons olive oil, chipotle or chili powder, 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, 2 teaspoons garlic powder and the chicken in a bowl. Set aside while you prepare the green beans (if you choose to make them).

To prepare the green beans, rinse and snap the ends off them. In a bowl mix 2 teaspoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, green beans, garlic and 2 teaspoons garlic powder in a bowl (I add the garlic powder to make it extra garlic tasting but you don't have to add that ingredient). Once everything is mixed together, cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil then pour the green beans from the bowl onto the foil. Spread the green beans out so they form a flat layer on the pan and then stick them in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until they are soft to your liking. Serve immediately.

While the green beans are cooking, put 2 teaspoons olive oil in a pan and heat. Place the chicken you set aside in the pan and cook until each side is done, about 3-5 minutes. Once both sides of the chicken look finished, pour in the chicken broth. Let cook for another 5 minutes. Mix in the cornstarch to thicken the broth (this is where it might actually be easier to mix the chicken broth and cornstarch in a separate bowl then pour into the pan). After about another 5 minutes of cooking, put in the basil and parsley (I put 1 tablespoon of basil and parsley on one side of the chicken, let it cook for a minute or two then flipped the chicken and poured in the other tablespoon). Let cook for a couple more minutes then serve immediately. The "thickened" sauce in the pan is meant to be scooped on the chicken, but it doesn't have to be.

***TIP: You want to make sure the chicken is cooked thoroughly. Cooking time for this meal varies depending on how long it takes your chicken to cook but it shouldn't really be longer than 15-20 minutes. Mine was that long and it was still very moist. Any longer and you might overcook the chicken. Any less and it might be undercooked.