La Bon Apetit Club
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Texas Chocolate Cake
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Cool down with some kabobs!
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Pasta with asparagus and chicken in orange sauce
Ingredients
Angel hair pasta (any kind will do, but the thinner the better)
Chicken breast
Asparagus
2/3 C orange juice (pulp or no pulp, it's up to you)
2 T Butter
Salt
Pepper
How much of each ingredient you use depends on how many people you're feeding. I usually use one good-sized chicken breast for two people. For the asparagus, if you make an "o" with your thumb and forefinger, however many pieces fit inside there is about a serving. The orange sauce measurements make enough for about 2 people, so adjust as needed.
First off, start some water boiling, making sure to season it with salt.
Lightly peel the asparagus with a peeler. I've only recently started doing this and I think it makes the asparagus much more enjoyable and when you cook it, it comes out nice and bright green on the plate. Set aside.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the OJ and let sit over low heat until everything else is ready, stirring occasionally.
Season your chicken breast with salt and pepper. Cook it on the grill or pan fry it in olive oil. If it's ready slightly before everything else, that's fine. Just let it rest until you're ready to serve.
Depending on the thickness of the pasta you use, you'll want to start a shallow pan of water boiling, and drop the asparagus so that they finish about the same time. Thinner asparagus takes about 3 minutes or so, thicker about 5.
Once everything is ready, thinly slice the chicken. Put a serving of pasta on the plate, top with the asparagus and sliced chicken, and pour orange sauce over the top. We usually serve any remaining orange sauce in a small gravy jar for those who want more.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
My twist on a citrus-y menu
2-3 pounds of meaty chicken pieces - breasts, legs, thighs, and drumsticks (I used breasts spilt in half)
2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt & pepper
1 large onion, halved & thinly sliced
1 small red sweet pepper, cut into bit-sized strips (I didn't used these)
1 small yellow sweet pepper, cut into bite-sized strips (I didn't used these)
4 cloves garlic, minced (I used jarred - I didn't have fresh)
1 tsp finely shredded orange peel (I zested an entire orange)
1 cup orange juice (I juiced 2 oranges)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup bottled hot salsa (I used mild/medium salsa)
15 oz. can black beans, rinsed & drained (didn't have black, used cannelini)
Chopped, peeled avacado - optional (highly recommended!!)
Remove skin from chicken, if necessary. In a very large skillet or a 4-quart Dutch oven cook half of the chicken in hot oil about 15 minutes or until lightly browned, turning to brown evenly. (Mine only took a few minutes on each side because they were so thin). Repeat with the other half of the chicken. Remove all chicken from pan; sprinkle with salt & pepper. Set aside.
Add onion, sweet peppers, and garlic to the pan. Cook just until onion and peppers are tender. Return chicken to pan. Add orange peel, orange juice, chicken broth, and salsa. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 35 to 40 minutes or until chicken is tender and no longer pink. (Mine only took about 15-20 minutes) Add beans to chicken mixture; heat through. If desired, serve with avocado. (I served the chicken over rice with avocado).
And for Becky - Nutrition facts as listed per serving: 305 cal, 14 g total fat (3 g sat fat), 78 mg cholesterol, 402 mg sodium, 15 g carbohydrates, 4 g fiber, 29 g protein. Daily Values: 15% vitamin A, 82% vitamin C, 5% calcium, 14% iron.
Lemon-Blueberry Cream Pie
Make sure you have all ingredients ready to go when you begin...
this is NOT a prepare as you go recipe.
1 cup sugar (I used 2/3 to 3/4 of a cup)
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1 cup milk
3 egg yolks, beaten
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 Tbsp finely shredded lemon peel (I zested a whole lemon)
1/4 cup lemon juice (I juiced 1 lemon)
1 8-oz carton sour cream (I used plain yogurt - didn't have sour cream. I think this affected the consistency)
2 cups fresh blueberries (I used frozen, hadn't picked yet this year)
9-inch pie crust, BAKED & cooled
whipped cream, optional (didn't use)
lemon curls, optional (didn't use)
lemon slices, optional (didn't use)
In a small saucepan combine sugar and cornstarch (no heat yet). Add milk, egg yolks, butter, and lemon peel. Cook, stirring/whisking constantly (really important to stir the whole time - otherwise it will be lumpy), over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 2 more minutes. Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice. Transfer to a bowl; cover with plastic wrap and chill for about 1 hour (maybe a little less would be okay).
Stir sour cream into lemon mixture. Carefully fold in blueberries. Transfer to baked pie crust. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours to set. If desired garnish with whipped cream, lemon curls, and lemon slices/twists. Makes 8 servings.
Nutrition facts per serving: 420 calories, 23 g total fat, (10 g sat fat), 110 mg cholesterol, 161 mg sodium, 50 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 5 g protein, Daily values: 26% vitamin A, 16% vitamin C, 7% calcium, 7% iron.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Friday, June 25, 2010
Its a good day to eat!
Each of us will bring our own unique personal pilosophies, flavors and textures to the well, plate. Some of us believe that saturated fats are what our bodies really need for health. Other believe that lean or no fat foods are the only way to go. Whatever the case, you can be sure that we all agree that bringing our love for food to the blog will bring joy to your table!
True, this is a "club", but also true, anyone can "join". All you have to do to join is try our recipes for yourself -and let us know what you think! And be sure to click on the button on the right to follow us and get sent a notification when there is a new update.
For our first recipe to kick off, we will start with one of my favorite recipes: Grilled Salmon ala Gregarious.
8oz of *wild, not farmed raised, salmon per person eating. Heat grill to at least 500 degrees. Using olive oil, oil both sides with a brush. On the meat side, sprinkle liberal amouts of garlic, basil and tarragon. Spritz copious amoints of fresh lemon all over. Then for the Gregarious part, sprinkle generous amounts of brown sugar from tip to toe of each portion. Grill skin side down for 8-10 minutes. You will know it is done when you stick a fork in, and the meat crinkles.
Serve with grilled yellow and green zuchini, and follow with fresh +organic peaches, and voila! Bon Apetit!
* Why Wild Caught over farm raised? With farm raised, food is going into the salmon that was never intended to including its own feces, food for color enhancement, etc. Wild salmon are living on the food God created for them to eat, so you know you are getting the best quality from the bottom of the food chain on up.
+ Organic. Please, by all means, eat organic fruits and vegetables whenever you can. There are is an avalanche of evidence of pesticides being linked to a host of problems in adults and in kids,
including possibly birth defects, brain damage, ADHD in kids, etc. Eat what God gave us as God intended, and you will be safer, and your tastebuds will thank you too!
Feel free to comment away! And again, welcome!