Sauteed Chicken Breasts with Roasted Peppers, Mushrooms and Arugula over Angel Hair Pasta with a Brown Butter Sauce

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This recipe was inspired by one of my favorite meals at the Great American Restaurants chain. I typically order this whenever I visit Sweetwater Tavern because they always have it on their menu, and the few times that we go to one of the chains that doesn't serve it...well, it's not a pretty sight. The mix of brown butter, mushrooms, red peppers, chicken breasts and arugula served over angel hair pasta is just an amazing combination. I knew I had to recreate it, and since I couldn't find a copycat recipe online I had to do it myself.

Brown butter sauce is so simple to make and adds great flavor to a pasta dish. Just make sure you brown the butter in a larger saucepan so it can cook evenly. The first time I did this in a small saucepan and...that's exactly why there was a first time and a second time. The second time it turned out perfect. As soon as it starts turning darker and small brown bits start to form on the bottom, remove it from the heat because your sauce is done! Serve this sauce with your favorite pasta or ravioli and let the flavors melt in your mouth. Or use it with the recipe below and I'm sure you'll fall in love with it as much as I have. Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken tenders
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 8 tbsp. light unsalted butter
• 1 (4.5 oz.) jar whole mushrooms, drained
• 1/2 cup roasted red peppers, chopped
• 2 tsp. garlic, minced
• 8 oz. angel hair pasta
• 1 cup reserved pasta water
• 1 cup arugula
• 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated, for serving

Place the chicken tenders in between two pieces of parchment paper. Using a meat mallet, pound the chicken so it is 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess.

Heat a large skillet oven medium-high heat and add 1 tbsp. butter. Add chicken to the skillet and brown on all sides, cooking for about 6-8 minutes total or until cooked through. Remove and set aside.

Heat a separate large saucepan over medium-low heat and add 6-8 tablespoons of butter. Whisk constantly until butter has brown bits on the bottom, about 5 minutes, then immediately remove from heat. Set aside.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water.

Add the remaining 1 tbsp. of butter to the skillet that you cooked the chicken in. Add mushrooms and roasted red peppers. Cook for 2-3 minutes until warm. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add pasta to the skillet. Slowly add a ladle of pasta water to the skillet, just enough to loosen it up. Turn off heat and stir in grated cheese and arugula. Add half of the brown butter sauce and stir to coat.

Spoon pasta onto dish. Add chicken over top and drizzle with extra brown butter sauce. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.

Source: SK Original

Baked Eggs in Tomatoes

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Baked Eggs in Tomatoes are one of my new favorite breakfast items. I usually stick to some sort of oatmeal or fruit during the week, and then load up on hash browns, bacon and eggs on the weekend. This is a much healthier twist that's even easier and just as tasty.

If you want to make this and are still craving bacon or some other breakfast meat with your tomato, you can mix cooked pieces in with the egg before filling the tomato. You can also play around with seasonings and other vegetables. I bet this would be great with some green peppers and onions. Basically whatever you put into your typical omelet would suffice in this baked tomato. Enjoy!

 
Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 large beefsteak tomatoes
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
• 4 large eggs
• 2 tsp. scallions, chopped
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-inch baking dish or pie plate with parchment. With a serrated knife, cut off the top 1/2 inch from each tomato. With a spoon or a melon baller, gently remove seeds and inner membrane, being careful not to break through flesh of tomato. Place tomatoes in dish and season with salt and pepper.

Divide corn among tomatoes. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and chives and season with salt and pepper. Divide egg mixture among tomatoes and top with cheese. Bake until egg mixture is set, 45 to 50 minutes. Serve warm.

Source: Adapted from Martha Stewart

Italian Baked Chicken and Pastina

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My best friend has recently taken up cooking dinner for her and her boyfriend, and she thrives off of casseroles. Since she is a middle school P.E. teacher, the last thing she wants to do after a long day of dealing with kids is make an elaborate meals (especially since we all know how kids at that age can be). She still wants her dinner to have all the flavor of elaborate meals, just minus most of the steps.

Recently she has tried my Beef Tamale Casserole and loved it, so I thought I would try a few other casserole dishes that she can easily enjoy. Since most people want something quick after a long day at work (especially if you work long hours or if you have kids at home) these casserole dishes come in handy for everyone. This particular one was extremely easy since I used a store-bought rotisserie chicken, so I was able to quickly pop it in the oven and go on a run while it baked. It's creamy, flavorful and perfect for fall. Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup pastina pasta (or any small pasta)
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 cup Rotisserie chicken, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/2 cup onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can Italian flavored diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 cup part-skim Mozzarella, shredded
• 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup Parmesan, grated
• 1 tbsp. butter

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until just tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Drain pasta and put into a large mixing bowl.

Meanwhile, put the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic, stirring to combine, and cook until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes.

Put onions and cubed chicken into the bowl with the cooked pasta. Add the canned tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.

Place the mixture in a greased 9x9" baking dish.

In a small bowl mix together the bread crumbs and the Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle over the top of the pasta mixture. Dot the top with small bits of butter.

Bake until the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Source: Adapted from Food Network

Apple Cake with Cinnamon-Butter Sauce

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One of my friends hosted us all at her house the other weekend, and I was in charge of bringing dessert. Since my family and I recently went apple picking, I wanted to use the abundance of apples we had sitting on our counter before they went to waste. But I wanted it to be something different. Do you know how hard it is to find an apple dessert recipe that isn't in the form of a pie?

It's hard.

I came across this apple cake and I figured if we heated it up, served it with ice cream and had a sauce to accompany it, it would be a perfect dessert for our crowd. The sauce I came up with made the cake even moister (let's pretend it's a word) and was perfect with the ice cream melting on top. I love the chunks of apple inside as well because they add a contrast to the moist (and moister!) cake. This is a great fall recipe that you'll love. Plus it's even better for breakfast the next day. Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Cake

• 6 baking apples
• 1 tbsp. cinnamon
• 5 tbsp. sugar (I used Splenda blend)
• 2 3/4 cups flour, sifted
• 1 tbsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup granulated sugar (I used Splenda blend)
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 2 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 4 eggs

Sauce

• 4 tbsp. butter or margarine
• 2/3 cup light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup low-fat milk
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• Ice cream, for serving

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a tube pan. Peel, core and chop apples into chunks. Toss with cinnamon and 5 tbsp. sugar and set aside.

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, orange juice, sugars and vanilla. Mix wet ingredients into the dry ones, then add eggs, one at a time. Scrape down the bowl to ensure all ingredients are incorporated.

Pour half of batter into prepared pan. Spread half of apples over it. Pour the remaining batter over the apples and arrange the remaining apples on top. Bake for about 1 1/2 hours, or until a tester comes out clean.

Towards the end of baking, heat sauce ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat until butter is melted and sauce is hot. You can also make this ahead of time and reheat it prior to serving.

Serve warm sauce over warm cake. Top with ice cream.

Source: Cake: Adapted from Smitten Kitchen; Sauce: SK Original

Stuffed Peppers with Ground Beef and Rice (Gluten-Free)

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I love stuffed peppers. Not only are they a healthy and quick meal to prepare, but they're Gluten-Free, Low-Carb and a perfect meal for a chilly fall evening. They're also great as leftovers the next day, so it's a two-for-one deal.

I originally made this recipe using only four peppers and had a ton of extra filling. You can probably easily stuff 6-8 peppers, depending on the size. The filling is so good that you'll want to stuff as much in each one as you can! Just remember to taste the filling as you go (you can wait and add the egg last if you're worried about salmonella). You might need to add more seasoning to get it to the taste you prefer. Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 6-8 green bell peppers
• 1/2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes with Italian seasoning
• 1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
• 2 tsp. garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. salt, divided
• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 tsp. oregano
• 1 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef or chuck
• 1 cup dry rice
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat mild Cheddar cheese, shredded
• Extra reduced-fat mild Cheddar cheese for serving (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cook rice according to package directions.

Cut tops off peppers; remove seeds and membranes. Chop edible part of tops and set aside. Cut off a little bit of the bottom of each pepper so it can stand flat, making sure you do not make any holes.

Meanwhile, cook meat over medium-high heat. Drain off fat and set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until hot. Saute chopped green pepper (from tops) and chopped onion for about 5 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, garlic, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add rice and stir until coated with mixture. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine egg and Ricotta cheese. Add oregano, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes and Worcestershire sauce. Gently stir to blend. Add drained ground beef to the Ricotta mixture and stir to combine. Add the tomato mixture and 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese. Mix well. Adjust seasonings as needed.

Stuff peppers to the top with the meat mixture and place in a 9x13" pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes. If desired, top stuffed peppers with additional shredded Cheddar cheese 5 minutes before peppers are done; bake until cheese is melted.

Source: SK Original