tomato | Kitchenbelle

Rosemary Chicken with White Beans

Posted on November 10, 2009 by kitchenbelle

This meal is the definition of an easy and quick weeknight meal. The tomatoes make this almost like a chunky soup/stew. In fact, I wish we had some fresh bread on hand because this is a perfect dish for dunking! I served this with a simple arugula salad. We really enjoyed this dinner and I look forward to enjoying it again for lunch!

Notes:

For the chicken, I used Perdue thinly sliced chicken breast. I love how they are nice and lean and cook so quickly!
For the stewed tomatoes, I like to use Contadina Diced Tomatoes. They are perfect for quick weeknight meals! For this recipe I used the “roasted garlic” variety.
You can always use fresh herbs in place of dried herbs. In fact, I suggest you use fresh herbs as often as possible. However, sometimes you find yourself in a pinch and it’s necessary to rely on your stash of dried herbs. (Like when you have a hungry husband and you can’t get to the farmer’s market or the grocery store!) Whenever you substitute dry for fresh always use one teaspoon of dry for every one tablespoon of fresh that the recipe calls for.

Rosemary Chicken with White Beans:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons dried rosemary (if you have fresh, use fresh!)
~1/2 teaspoon salt
~1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 pounds of boneless chicken breast, sliced thin 2 (14.5 ounce) cans stewed tomatoes
2 (15 ounce) cans navy beans (or any other white bean like cannellini), drained
1/4 cup chopped pitted kalamata olives

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Combine rosemary, salt, and pepper and sprinkle over both sides of chicken. Place chicken in pan and cook until brown, turning once. (Depending on the size of your pan, you may have to cook chicken in batches. Make sure there is enough space in the pan so that each peace of chicken touches the bottom of the pan.) Once all chicken pieces are brown set aside on a plate. Deglaze pan by adding tomatoes (with juices) to pan. Use a spatula to scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat to medium and add chicken. Add the beans; cover and simmer 10 minutes or until chicken is done. Stir in olives.

Adapted from MyRecipes.com.

Filed under: beans, cannellini beans, chicken, Main Dish, olives, tomato | 1 Comment »

Caprese Kebabs

Posted on July 21, 2009 by kitchenbelle

For the past few weeks I have been looking for no-cook delicious appetizers for a low fuss girls’ only cocktail party. Luckily, I had the opportunity to brainstorm recipes and ideas with MyRecipes.com editor Ashley Johnson. Ashley had so many wonderful suggestions and fun ideas that it was impossible to incorporate all of them! (Check out some of her girls’ night recipe ideas here: Girls Night In– Party at the Grill )

First on my menu: caprese kebabs. Nothing says summer like this classic flavor combination! I especially like these kebabs because they add some sass to your spread. They aren’t your typical “chip and dip” that guests have come to expect. They are fresh, delicious and ridiculously easy to make!

Caprese Kebabs:

1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
10 to 14 fresh small mozzarella cheese balls, cut into thirds
wooden skewers
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
6 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Thread 1 tomato half, 1 piece of cheese, and another tomato half onto each skewer. Place skewers in serving dish/bowl.

Whisk together oil and next 3 ingredients. Drizzle oil mixture over skewers; sprinkle with basil and salt and pepper to taste.

Adapted from MyRecipes.com.

Filed under: Appetizer, basil, cheese, mozzarella, tomato, VEGETARIAN | 3 Comments »

Avocado, Corn, and Tomato Salsa

Posted on July 5, 2009 by kitchenbelle

This salsa is a delicious addition to any cookout! The flavors are so fresh. It is a nice alternative to traditional chips and dip. I like to serve it with assorted colored tortilla chips because it makes for a pretty presentation, however, traditional corn chips work just as well.

Avocado, Corn, and Tomato Salsa:

2 avocados, diced into small cubes
4-5 vine ripe tomatoes, diced into small cubes (seeds removed)
4 cobs of corn cooked and then kernels removed or 2 cups frozen corn
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, finely minced

Combine avocado, tomato and corn in one bowl. Whisk together remaining ingredients (dressing) in another bowl. Pour dressing over salsa and use a spoon to toss to combine. Serve with chips.

Adapted from MyRecipes.com.

Filed under: Appetizer, corn, tomato, VEGETARIAN | Leave a comment »

Sweet Chile Roasted Vegetables

Posted on June 23, 2009 by kitchenbelle

june 23 010

This recipe is perfect for jazzing up your weeknight vegetables! Fresh asparagus, sweet grape or cherry tomatoes, and cauliflower are the perfect combination for roasting. Though this marinade isn’t an exact replication of the sweet chili sauce sold in bottles, it has some heat that is balanced nicely by the agave nectar. (Agave nectar is a natural sweetener derived from the agave plant. It has become popular as a replacement for other sweeteners, like granulated sugar, because of its low glycemic index.) If you don’t have agave nectar on hand, you can use honey as a substitute in this recipe. However, I suggest you give agave nectar a try. It is a nice alternative to sugar, honey, or syrup in baking, coffee, and savory dishes.

Sweet Chile Roasted Vegetables:

2 tablespoons agave nectar
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon chile powder
1/4 teaspoon red chile flakes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 medium head of cauliflower
24 pieces asparagus, ends trimmed and then cut into 2- inch pieces
1 pint grape (or cherry) tomatoes, cut lengthwise

Preheat oven to 415 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a small bowl whisk all ingredients together except for vegetables. Set aside.

Cut cauliflower into florets. Place florets into a large mixing bowl and add half of marinade mixture. Toss well until evenly coated. Arrange cauliflower in a single layer on baking sheet. Add the asparagus and tomatoes to the marinade and toss to evenly coat vegetables. Arrange asparagus and tomatoes on the second baking sheet.

Place both baking sheets in oven and roast vegetables for about 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Serve immediately.

Adapted from Clean Eating magazine.

Filed under: agave nectar, asparagus, cauliflower, tomato, VEGETARIAN | 2 Comments »

Grilled Swordfish with Grilled Caponata

Posted on June 16, 2009 by kitchenbelle

When the weather is hot and you don’t have central air conditioning, using the oven and the stove are not very appealing. Even baking something for just a few minutes can turn the kitchen into a sauna. That is when an outdoor grill can be really handy. Some people reserve the grill for hot dogs and hamburgers on the weekends only, but there is no reason not to fire up the grill for a quick and healthy weeknight supper.

Unfortunately, the problem of warm weather has not been an issue in Boston. The last couple of days have been downright cold. For this dish I stayed in my comfortably warm kitchen and used our grill pan in place of the outdoor grill. (The grill pan works really well for grilling pretty much everything.)

Whether prepared indoors or outdoors, this dish is wonderful. The flavorful chunky vegetables paired so nicely with the firm swordfish steaks. For not using very many spices, the flavor factor of the caponata was off the charts. Each bite contained different vegetables—you may get a piece of eggplant and a caper in one bite and then a tomato and olive in the next. This meal was really satisfying and balanced. And it is so simple to make! The caponata is so versatile it could be served on its own as a side or with crackers as an appetizer.

Grilled Swordfish with Grilled Caponata:

Caponata

1 medium eggplant, sliced lengthwise
1 large red onion, peeled and sliced into rings
4-6 plum or roma tomatoes, halved
Olive oil, for brushing vegetables, plus 1/2 cup
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup green olives, chopped
2 tablespoons capers, drained
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted (optional)
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Pinch red pepper flakes
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons honey

Heat grill on high. Brush all vegetables with olive oil (or spray with cooking spray) and season with salt and pepper. Grill both sides of the eggplant slices until cooked through, about 8 minutes per side. Grill both sides of the onion slices until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Grill the tomatoes (seed side down) until charred and soft, about 3 minutes. Remove all vegetables from heat and cut into 1/2 inch chunks. Put all vegetables into a bowl. Add the olives, capers, and pine nuts to the bowl of vegetables and use a wooden spoon to toss to combine.

In a small bowl combine the vinegar, garlic, red pepper flakes, and honey. Season with salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in about 1/2 cup of olive oil.* Pour this dressing over vegetables and toss so that all are well-coated with dressing. Let stand at room temperature about 30 minutes before serving.

Swordfish

2-4 swordfish steaks
olive oil or cooking spray
salt and freshly ground pepper
Caponata (see recipe above)

Heat grill to high. Brush both sides of swordfish steaks with olive oil or coat with cooking spray. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Cook swordfish steaks until done, about 4 minutes per side, depending on the thickness. Remove from grill and top with grilled caponata.